The Return of Sycon
by lifeisveryshortsoami
Summary: Patricia Williamson had no idea why she chose to visit America again. It held so many memories for her and Eddie Miller, including the break-up she hates thinking about. They were hoping to have a normal summer this year. Too bad their uncanny knack for finding mysteries seems to follow them everywhere. *Begins at the end of season three*
1. Do-Over

**Author's Note: **Hi, guys!

This is my first time writing for House of Anubis. Some of you may know me from other fandoms - Sonny with a Chance was my biggest phase - but this time, I'm posting for a new show. House of Anubis is just...It's everything I wish I could do with my own writing. It has mystery. It has romance. It has perfect cliffhangers that always leave us wanting more. I feel like there's so much I, as a wanna-be writer, can learn from this show. (Not only that, but it's also fun to watch!)

With that being said...

This story begins where season 3 ends. Patricia was a sinner, Eddie and KT saved the world, and now, Patricia and Eddie have decided to give their relationship another shot. However, that's pretty much where the story turns semi-AU. What do I mean by that? Well, I'll tell you:

The Return of Sycon is a story I wrote a few years ago after my Grandpa gave me an idea (Yes, even back then I wrote all the time). Therefore, the whole storyline and characters were already planned out before I ever saw an episode of House of Anubis. I got looking at the story lately though, the one I wrote several years ago, and realized, 'Huh...This could be a WHOLE lot better!' I want to make it better - but I want your opinions, as fellow House of Anubis fans, to tell me how I'm doing. How do you like my storylines? What can I do to make the story more mysterious? What parts do you like? What parts don't you like?

Basically, I want your feedback as readers. I want YOUR help to turn my story into the very best novel it can be!

What am I really telling you? I'm saying that Eddie and Patricia will probably be the only characters in the story that you guys know already. Everything that happened on the show has happened in this story: Eddie and Patricia still attend boarding school, they met when Patricia tripped over Eddie's feet, blah blah blah. This is just...Their story of what happens the summer after season 3. When they're in America. Without the rest of the Anubis students.

Still confused? Well...Maybe if you try reading it, you'll understand better?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from HOA. Or Cedar Point. Sycon is mine though. You can't have him.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Do-Over

For the second time in her life, Patricia Williamson was in America.

In hindsight, she wasn't sure why she agreed to come back. It sounded like a good idea at the time – she was so happy about finally having Eddie as her boyfriend again and not having to worry about him liking KT or some mystery girl sending him random emails (which, she now knew, she'd been stupid to believe in the first place. She should've known Denby was behind everything. Eddie would never cheat on her!). She was still a little light-headed when Eddie pulled her aside and begged her to spend another summer with him and his family.

"It'll be better this year," he had promised, taking her hands in his. "It could be a second chance for us, a do-over!"

How was she supposed to say no when he was giving her that puppy-dog smile, the one that said, 'Come-on-you-know-you-want-to-say-yes!'

All in all, agreeing to the visit just because Eddie wanted her to probably wasn't her greatest idea. Patricia associated America with a lot of things. It was the place where she met Eddie's mother for the first time, a very kind woman named Jody Miller who showered her with nothing but kindness for the duration of her stay. It was where she learned about Eddie's past by touring his old school and meeting people he'd grown up with. America was also where, after Eddie said something totally stupid about her, Patricia stood from the dinner table – with Jody watching her every move – and poured an entire pitcher of orange juice over her boyfriend's head.

The worst thing about America though was the fact that Patricia had broken up with Eddie while she was there.

The break-up wasn't something Patricia did one morning after waking up and telling herself, "I think I'll dump Eddie today!" No, it was a decision she hadn't made lightly, one that she could only make after spending weeks thinking over all her options. Sure, Eddie was her first real boyfriend, the first boy she had ever kissed, and yeah, she had no idea what a real relationship was supposed to be like. However, her cluelessness was not the only factor that played a role in the break-up.

It was late the night Patricia heard them talking. Eddie and Jody were already in bed – or, at least, she'd thought they were. However, when she got thirsty and headed toward the kitchen, she stopped when she heard their voices flowing from the room.

"So?" Eddie had asked and Patricia could almost hear the smile in his voice. "What do you think of her?"

There was only one 'her' Eddie could be referring to. Patricia stayed pressed against the wall, knowing she shouldn't eavesdrop but at the same time staying exactly where she was. She wanted to hear Jody's answer.

"I think she's a lovely girl, Eddie," she replied. "Your father was right about her though: she isn't afraid to let everyone know exactly how she feels about something."

"I know!" Eddie replied with a laugh. "Isn't it great?"

There was a long silence from the kitchen. Patricia considered running back to her room. What if Eddie and his mom were heading to bed? She couldn't let them see her, they'd be upset and-

"What?" Eddie finally spoke up.

"Oh, it's nothing, sweetie," Jody waved off her son's concern. "If you're happy with Patricia, that's all that matters anyway."

Now it was obvious – to both Patricia and Eddie – that Jody was hiding something.

"What do you mean, 'If I'm happy'?" Eddie demanded. "Do you have something against Patricia?"

In the hallway, Patricia nodded her consent, agreeing whole-heartedly with his question. It was what she would've asked had she not been in hiding.

"Of course I don't have anything against her!" Jody clarified, bringing a grin to the redhead's face. "I just…She doesn't seem like your type, Eddie."

It felt as though someone had slapped Patricia across her cheek.

"Well…She isn't my type," Eddie admitted.

That was all Patricia could stand listening to. She turned around, forgetting about her thirst, and ran back to her room. She didn't cry that night – she wasn't the kind of girl who cried over a guy – but she did miss out on the rest of the conversation.

"She isn't my type," Eddie said a second time, "Which is why I think I like her so much! I've never met someone like her before, someone who can be so mean one second and have me lowering my shield the next! She's just so…Amazing!"

After that night, Patricia kept a close watch on Eddie. Most of the time, he acted like the perfect boyfriend, but she couldn't help from wondering how much of it was really an act. If she wasn't his type, how long could they manage a relationship before one of their many differences pulled them apart? How much time would go by before he fell for another girl, someone who would easily take Patricia's place in his heart?

She waited until they were at the airport before breaking the news to Eddie. She chose her words carefully and delivered them with a face lacking any emotions. Before he could do more than say, "What are you talking about, Yacker?", she ran away, shaking her head and muttering a tiny, "I'm so sorry!"

That was it. She spoke to Eddie maybe one time after that – he'd left a million messages on her phone during her flight and she felt he deserved some answers – and they decided that they would tell everyone at Anubis that it was a mutual decision. Lying would be easier than telling the truth.

Well, everyone knows how that story ended: Patricia realized how much she missed Eddie and they got back together, sealing the deal with a kiss while fireworks exploded over their heads. It was the most cliché moment of Patricia's life, standing there kissing under the fireworks, but she didn't mind. She was just happy to be back in Eddie's arms where she belonged.

And now, instead of chatting with her boyfriend via texts or video chats while spending their vacations worlds apart, Patricia was standing in the middle of a crowded airport, craning her neck as she stood on her tiptoes, trying to spot her boyfriend in the busy building.

Yep…Patricia Williamson was really back in America despite how horribly her last visit had gone.

Some people just never learned, did they?

* * *

Eddie was late. He knew it not only because the clock in his car told him so but also due to his cell phone going off every two seconds. Patricia's ringtone filled the vehicle, causing him to grit his teeth. He knew her plane had landed twenty minutes ago; she didn't need to keep reminding him.

His phone was still ringing as Eddie finally found a parking spot. He cut off the engine, threw his seatbelt over his shoulder, and jumped out of the car. This time, instead of ignoring his girlfriend, he pushed the 'answer' key.

"Where are you?" Patricia shouted before he could say anything. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Calm down, Yacker," Eddie replied as he ran across the parking lot. "I've been running around the airport trying to find you for, like, half an hour. I thought you said to meet you at gate seven?"

He was lying, of course. The last time he'd spoken to Patricia, she had given him the information several times: meet her at gate nine by exactly 2:15. However, lying about the gates would give him the time he needed to reach her. While he was really just entering the building, Patricia would think he was simply passing from the wrong gate to the correct one.

"Seven?" She scoffed. "I told you it would be gate nine."

"Yeah, I always get my nine's and seven's messed up," Eddie explained, pressing on before Patricia could question him. "Just…Stay where you are, okay? I'll be there in five minutes."

"Fine," Patricia relented with a sigh.

One frantic run through the airport later, Eddie found what he was searching for. Patricia was sitting several feet away with three bags of luggage gathered around her feet. Judging by the bored expression on her face, she wasn't happy.

"Hey!" Eddie greeted, flopping into the chair beside hers. "How was the flight?"

"Stupid," she responded. "Some little boy sitting behind me kicked my seat the whole way here. Oh, and the lovely old lady sitting next to me found it _intriguing _that I wasn't from America. She spent the entire trip telling me all about this wonderful country!"

"The lovely old lady doesn't sound so bad."

"Really?" Patricia smiled sweetly. "Can you name every president the United States has ever had?"

"No," Eddie admitted.

"I can."

Not knowing what else to do, Eddie held out his arms, attempting to wrap his girlfriend into a hug. However, she made things difficult; she struggled, trying to break free.

"No offense or anything, but I've been on a plane for hours. I smell like a mixture of vomit, old people, and peanuts." She climbed to her feet. "I'd like to shower before you get all girly and clingy on me."

"Girly and clingy?" Eddie echoed. "All I did was try to hug you!"

"Exactly."

Eddie stood up as well, slinging one of Patricia's bags over his shoulder. He would show her how girly he was!

"Fine. If I'm so 'girly and clingy', I guess I won't hug you for the rest of your visit," he said, shrugging his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. "And if hugs are too clingy, I'm sure holding hands or kissing would fall under that category too, right?"

"Listen, Weasel, I never said that-,"

Her protest came too late. Eddie was already grabbing the rest of her bags – a suitcase in his right hand, the handle of a pull-around bag in his left – and without another word, he stalked around the airport, heading toward the exit.

Eddie knew Patricia was following him. He could see her from the corner of his eye. She was walking close to him, eying him suspiciously, almost as though she was trying to figure out if he was really angry with her.

Long before they reached the exit, Eddie felt another hand reach for the bag with wheels. He glanced down in mock surprise, watching as Patricia, now dragging the luggage behind her, took its old place. She snuggled into his side, placing his arm around her waist when he refused to do so himself.

"I thought I was the clingy one?" he teased.

"Shut up," Patricia snapped, punching his chest playfully.

Instead of arguing it further, Eddie tightened his hold and kissed the top of her head before she could stop him. She groaned, informing him once again that he was definitely the girl in their relationship, only this time, she smiled as she said it.

This, Eddie decided right then and there, was going to be the best summer of his life.

* * *

Patricia was surprised how much she remembered about Eddie's house. She didn't need her boyfriend to remind her which room was hers (upstairs, first door on the right) or where the bathroom was (two doors down from her room, the closet with all the spare towels separating them). After rummaging through her bags to find her bathroom essentials (Eddie told her a million times she was welcome to use his stuff, but the last thing she wanted was boyish smelling hair), she even remembered to let the shower water run for exactly thirty seconds before stepping beneath it (otherwise, she'd be stepping into the coldest water ever).

Jody was more than a little happy to have Patricia back. All the redhead needed to do was step foot in the kitchen – honestly, she was expecting to find Eddie there. He was always hungry, after all – and Jody was right in front of her, throwing her arms around Patricia's neck.

"I'm so happy you're here!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "When Eddie told me you two had gotten back together, I couldn't believe it! I wanted to speak with you – you know, to confirm he wasn't making it up – but he said something about you guys being on a date and not wanting me to ruin it. So I called Eric instead – surely you remember Eric, Eddie's father? – and he told me that it was true, that you and Eddie really were a couple again! The next time I spoke with Eddie – he called me almost every night, the poor boy. He's really a people-person, you know – I told him he just had to invite you to stay with us. It was such a pleasure having you around last year!"

Normally Patricia didn't like people like Jody, someone who could ramble on for five minutes straight without taking a breath, but there was something special about Eddie's mom. It was hard to dislike someone who was always shoving welcoming gifts in your face, such as Jody was doing now.

"I baked these this morning," she explained, setting a tray of cupcakes on the island in the middle of the room. "I thought maybe we could eat them together while you catch me up on everything that's happened since the last time we've seen each other!"

Jody sat down on one of the stools surrounding the island, motioning for Patricia to join her. She did and instantly found herself reaching for one of the sugary snacks. The food on the plane had tasted horrible!

"So?" Jody asked, giving Patricia a chance to take one bite. "How did you and Eddie get back together? I hope he did some huge, romantic gesture! He thinks he knows so much about how to impress girls, but I suppose he doesn't know as much as he thinks he does considering your break-up. Did he apologize for the stupid stuff he did last time around? How have things gone since you've gotten together again? Is he treating you okay?"

As suddenly as her appetite had struck her, it was gone again. Patricia set her cupcake down, staring at the pink frosting instead of Eddie's mom. She could answer the first few questions easily – about how she and Eddie had gotten back together – but the ones about how things had gone afterwards? How was she supposed to know the answer to that? She'd been a sinner longer than she'd been herself. She had no idea what happened to their relationship once she lost her soul.

"Patricia?" Jody questioned softly. "Are you alright? You look a little pale…"

"It's the jet-lag," Patricia answered quickly. "The time difference between the UK and America is huge."

"I know exactly what you mean," Jody nodded. "Every time Eddie gets back after a semester of school, he spends his first week of vacation trying to get his sleeping schedule back on track. I'm sure you must be exhausted! Why don't you head upstairs and take a nap? We'll catch up later!"

Deciding a nap would be better than telling Jody about sinners, Patricia heeded her advice. She was just entering her bedroom when she paused, tilting her head toward Eddie's room (located only a foot or two from hers). From the sounds of it, he was having a conversation, although whether it was with himself or not Patricia couldn't be sure.

Glancing down the staircase to make sure Jody wasn't on her way up, Patricia tiptoed her way to Eddie's door. She pressed her ear against the wood, eavesdropping on him. _'I'm not doing anything wrong,' _she told herself firmly. _'As his girlfriend, it's my duty to make sure he's not crazy. If he isn't talking to anyone right now, well…We might have a problem.'_

"No way!" Eddie was saying, his voice plenty loud enough for Patricia to hear (the Miller's had very thin walls). "Your dad is really letting you leave for the entire summer? Yeah, I know my mom sends me off to boarding school, but that's different…She has my dad to spy on me, remember? It's not like I don't have any parental supervision…You're going to have so much fun, man!"

There was a long pause. Patricia's best bet was that Eddie was on the phone with someone and that was why she could only hear one side of the conversation. She wondered who he was talking to.

"Just think about it," Eddie spoke up again. "A whole summer to do whatever you want without your dad ever finding out…Well, yeah, I know it's not going to be all fun and games…Yes, I understand you're going to be working…Still, that has to be one of the coolest jobs I've ever heard of! It would be even cooler if they gave you some free tickets you could give to your best friend…They're giving you free tickets?!"

Patricia had so many questions. Who was Eddie talking to? What was this 'super cool' job? Where were the free tickets for?

"Of course I want a ticket!" Eddie told the mystery person. "I might not use it until the end of the summer though, after Patricia leaves…Yep, she flew in earlier today…How do you think she reacted when she saw me? She was upset! I got busy helping my mom bake cupcakes for her arrival and lost track of time…It was cool though, I told her I forgot which gate we were meeting at and she totally believed me!"

Well, at least there was one good thing that came out of her eavesdropping. Now Patricia knew the real reason Eddie hadn't greeted her on time at the airport. She couldn't wait until he got off the phone, when she could tell him she was on to his little secret-

"I know. I wish you'd stuck around a few more days before leaving. I was really looking forward to introducing you to Patricia. I'm sure you would've loved her…What do you mean, you could still meet her? I don't know…Doesn't it seem kind of shady to invite my girlfriend over for the summer and then throw a random trip on her like that? Yeah, I know I said I would take the ticket, but…I don't know what she would say…I guess I could ask her…"

That should've been her cue to step away from the door, Patricia realized three seconds too late. By the time she noticed Eddie had fallen silent, she didn't have time to move. He opened his door and she stumbled into his room, her face flushing in embarrassment.

"I was just…" She tried to think of a good explanation, which really shouldn't have been very hard. How many excuses had she come up with when covering for Sibuna? "Your mom asked me to get you! She needs your help with – with, uh…"

"It's okay, Yacker. You don't need to lie," Eddie comforted, hiding a smile. Patricia was kind of cute when she was trying to stay out of trouble. "I don't mind that you were listening in. The call was kind of about you anyway."

"So I heard," she admitted now that she knew Eddie wasn't upset. "Who were you talking to anyway? And why were you talking to them about me?"

"We weren't really talking _about_ you," Eddie clarified. "We were discussing an activity that _involves_ you – or could involve you, if you're interested. Technically, your question isn't accurate, so really-,"

He shut up when a very well-aimed pillow nearly collided with his head.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked, placing the pillow back on his bed where it belonged. "A simple 'please' would've been fine, you know."

"The pillow was my way of saying 'please'."

"Right…" Eddie shook his head. "Anyway…You know how I have friends outside of Anubis, don't you?"

Patricia's only response was a blank stare. Eddie felt his jaw drop. "You didn't know I had friends here in America?"

"Well, I've never seen you hang out with anyone, so…"

"You've seen me hang out with my friends!" Eddie protested. "Last summer, we got together with everyone to play a game of football, remember?"

"Actually," Patricia pointed out, "We played soccer, not football. And you didn't introduce me to any of your so-called friends. You were too busy tackling them while running around in tights."

Eddie would've argued about the whole football versus soccer thing, but with Patricia, it was a moot point. Besides, he had something more important to discuss with her.

"The point is," he said, changing the topic, "One of my best friends got a job working at Cedar Point. Before you ask, Cedar Point is this awesome amusement park with tons of roller coasters and food that's way over-priced! Since my friend's an employee there, he was able to get a few free tickets and he's offering them to us."

An amusement park, huh? It wasn't Patricia's ideal way to spend her summer vacation. After suffering through such a hectic school year, she was looking forward to having some peace and quiet for a few months. She couldn't see that happening at a place where people were screaming their heads off all day long.

"You don't want to go," Eddie stated, watching his girlfriend's face carefully. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. I mean, I want to, but if you really, really don't…"

He was giving her that look again – the same look he gave her every time he wanted something and he knew she was going to say no.

The old Patricia would've stuck with her original answer. She would've told Eddie that she would rather stay at his house than go to some park she'd never even heard of before. This Patricia though, the one who had been a sinner, felt she owed her boyfriend for the time when her soul was gone and he took her back even after she tried turning him over to the dark side. How many boyfriends had to deal with their girlfriends attempting to turn them into sinners?

"Call your friend back," she ordered. "Let him know we'd be happy to take the tickets."

"You are the best girlfriend ever!"

Eddie ran across the room, giving Patricia a bear hug. It would've been a happy moment if he hadn't squeezed tight enough to cut off her air supply.

As Eddie brought his phone back to his ear, Patricia left him alone, wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Like I said...This is Eddie and Patricia's story, so you're not going to see very many House of Anubis characters.

Still, if you want to continue reading, I would LOVE to hear what you guys think! Don't be afraid to share your thoughts whether they're good or bad; anything that will help me improve my writing is great!

So...Review?


	2. Alluring Aliens

**Author's Note: **Hiya!

It's me again, back with a new update. I'm going to try my best to update twice a week - although, knowing me, it'll probably only happen once a week. I guess we'll just have to see what happens.

Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys have no idea how much your love and support means to me! Especially since this is a story I hope to turn into a real novel! It really helps me a lot to hear your feedback and the fact that it's been so positive has been great! Please, continue to tell me what you think! Do you like the way the story is going so far? Are Eddie and Patricia in character? Can you figure out the mystery before they do?

Well, I guess that's all I have to say...How would you like to read the chapter now?

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOA. **

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Alluring Aliens

Jet-lag had to be the absolute worst thing about coming to America. It was three o'clock in the morning and Patricia was wide awake, not to mention bored out of her mind. She'd tried to sleep, she really had, but between Eddie's snoring and Jody's music (apparently the soothing melodies helped her sleep better), there were just too many distractions.

Uncertain what she could do in the middle of the night without waking anyone up, Patricia ended up reaching for her laptop. Maybe Joy would be online and she could talk to her for a few hours. Surely Joy would have stories to share with her, right? They could talk about her best friend's new relationship with Jerome Clarke, a relationship Patricia still didn't understand. How had Joy ended up falling for Jerome? It seemed like they hated each other one minute and were together the next. Oh well…Patricia must've missed part of their story while she was a sinner.

Joy wasn't online. Patricia searched through the rest of her friends, wondering if she would have better luck with someone else. Fabian and Alfie were at the top of the list, followed closely by KT. They, along with Eddie, were the people she spoke with the most during the school year, so it made sense to put them first. Just below them was Nina Martin. Patricia hadn't spoken with Nina in ages, but she refused to delete her. Sure, she'd given up one semester at Anubis, but that didn't mean she was never coming back.

Well, apparently there wasn't going to be a Sibuna meeting tonight. Not one member – other than Patricia – was online. Sighing, she continued scrolling through her friends. Mara and Willow were offline as well. Actually, only one name had a green light beside it…

Patricia took a deep breath. It was the last person she wanted to talk to, but she was so bored and it would be several hours yet before Eddie or Jody were awake. Was it worth it?

Before she could make up her mind whether or not to click on the name, Patricia jumped in surprise. She was too late; she'd been spotted. The other person was requesting a video chat.

"I'm so glad I caught you, Patty!" a cheerful voice cried out as soon as Patricia clicked on the 'accept' button. "It's been so lonely here without you!"

"Hello, Piper."

Truth be told, Patricia _did_ miss her twin. No matter how perfect Piper was and how annoying she could be, they were still sisters. They'd gotten to see each other for a few days – Piper's school was on break as well – before Patricia left to visit her American boyfriend. It had been kind of nice to spend some time together.

Now, Piper's peppy face was taking up Patricia's screen as the other twin waved enthusiastically.

"Isn't it the middle of the afternoon there?" Patricia inquired. "Shouldn't you be out with friends or practicing the piano or something?"

"I hung out with friends yesterday," Piper replied, waving off her sister's concern. "I even ran into some of your friends from school!"

"Really?"

"Yep. Joy, Jerome, Alfie, and some girl I'd never met – I think they said she was named after some kind of tree – were having a picnic at the park." Piper sighed dreamily. "It's so cute to see them together! I just love to watch people fall in love!"

Patricia rolled her eyes. Of course Piper would concentrate on the cuteness of the situation more than any other detail.

"You didn't tell me Joy and Jerome were seeing each other," Piper accused. "They were surprised I didn't know. They figured you would've told me."

"It slipped my mind," Patricia lied smoothly. "Did you happen to chat with them about anything more interesting than who's dating who?"

A thoughtful expression crossed Piper's face as she tapped her finger against her chin.

"Um…They asked how you were doing. I told them you were on your way to the airport. Joy muttered something about hoping you don't screw things up again like last summer – I think she likes you and Eddie, Patty, I mean, who wouldn't? – and I told them I was sure things would go fine this time around!" There was a slight pause. "Things are going fine, aren't they?"

"I've been here for less than a day," Patricia reminded her twin. "Even I can't mess things up that quickly!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Yacker."

"Was that Eddie?" Piper squealed, clapping her hands in excitement. "Oh, please tell me that was Eddie I just heard! Let him come on the video-chat too!"

Piper was right: Eddie was the one strutting across the room, a cocky smile on his face. Patricia wasn't sure if she was supposed to be happy that he was sneaking into her room or appalled that he would just simply barge in without knocking.

"What are you doing here?" she settled on asking. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Okay," Eddie shrugged. "If you insist."

He pounced onto Patricia's bed, easily pushing his girlfriend aside to make more room. Piper covered her mouth to keep from laughing as her sister's boyfriend lifted up the blankets, placing them over his legs. The smile he flashed in Patricia's direction was beyond adorable.

"There," he stated happily. "I'm in bed!"

"I didn't mean _my_ bed, Doofus!" Patricia complained.

Ignoring his girlfriend (who, even though she was acting annoyed, didn't try pushing him to the floor, which he took as a good sign), Eddie turned his attention to the computer she was balancing on her lap. He recognized the other redhead immediately.

"Hey, Piper!" he greeted. "I take it you're having a good summer so far?"

"It's been okay," Piper agreed. "I miss my sister like crazy though. Mom and dad are trying to force all these 'family activities' on me now that I'm the only one here. I have to go along with whatever idea they come up with; Trixie was the one who used to make excuses to get us out of going."

"Just tell them you're sick," Patricia scoffed. "It's just mom and dad. They're not that hard to trick. They still think I like going to boarding school because it gives me a 'better education'."

"I can't lie to them!" Piper exclaimed, the panic evident in her voice. "They're our parents, Patricia. If I lie and they find out about it, how are they ever going to trust me again?"

"Fine. Then make plans with your friends every day this summer. That way, when mom and dad want you to do something with them, you can tell them you're busy. See? No lies involved and you still get out of family bonding time!"

It was the best idea Patricia could come up with. It was hard to think of excuses for someone who refused to lie. The definition of the word 'excuse' had the word 'lie' in it…At least, she was pretty sure it did.

"We have more important things to talk about than my boring life," Piper said, and somehow, maybe through twin intuition, Patricia knew exactly what she was about to say. "How are the two of you enjoying your vacation?"

"We," Eddie answered, not giving Patricia a chance to do more than open her mouth, "Are having so much fun! Tomorrow, I'm taking her for a tour of the mall!"

Both sisters stared at the American. "The mall?"

"Yeah," Eddie nodded, his eyes only on the girl sharing a bed with him. "You need some new clothes for our Cedar Point trip, don't you?"

"Why would I need new clothes? Are you saying my old clothes look bad?"

"What? That's not what I – Why would you even think-," Eddie buried his head in his hands. "You know what? Forget I said anything. I'm the one who needs to do some shopping. I want to pick up some new t-shirts."

"Why would you need new clothes?" Patricia demanded. "I'm the one who has horrible looking outfits."

Sensing an argument coming, Piper took it upon her shoulders to jump in. She hadn't meant to start a fight.

"You guys are going to Cedar Point?" she cooed, bringing the couple's attention back to her and off of each other. "Oh my gosh, you are so lucky, Patricia! I've heard nothing but good things about that place! Apparently they have some of the best roller coasters around and the nicest employees and I would love to be in your shoes right now!"

"Oh, you wouldn't want to wear my shoes. Apparently, they're hideous," Patricia stated, sending Eddie a pointed look.

"For the last time, I don't think your clothes are ugly! It's going to be hot walking around Cedar Point and I wasn't sure if you brought anything with you that would help with the heat. I love the way you dress and-,"

"Oh." Patricia paused. "I didn't think about that. Maybe I could use some new clothes."

Patricia shrugged innocently while Eddie ran his hands through his hair, trying his hardest not to wrap them around his girlfriend's neck. Desperately seeking a change of topic, Piper noticed something odd at Eddie's elbow.

"Eddie?" she asked, nodding toward the item. "What's in the bag?"

He turned to see what she was talking about – Patricia leaned around him, her hair falling over her eyes as she spotted the bag as well – and just like that, Eddie's smile was back.

"Thanks for reminding me, Piper," he said, picking up the bag and placing it in Patricia's hands. "I got you a little 'Welcome Back to America' present."

"You got me a present?" Patricia repeated, staring at the bag blankly. "What is it?"

"Why don't you open it and find out?"

Exchanging a nervous look with her twin (Eddie was a prankster. Who knew what she was going to find?), Patricia took Eddie's advice. She pulled out a piece of tissue paper, rolling it into a ball before glancing at whatever was beneath it. Her jaw fell.

"Is that…" She shook her head. "It's not what I think it is...is it?"

"I want to know what it is!" Piper pleaded. "Come on, Pattycakes. Hold it up so I can see it too!"

Slowly, Patricia pulled out a stuffed animal. Other than observing that it had four legs, horns, and a tail, Piper had no idea what species she was looking at.

"That's um…" She struggled to find the right words. "It's a lovely gift, Eddie!"

"It's a stuffed yak," Eddie explained, smirking as though he was in the midst of a great joke. "A yak for my Yacker!"

Piper was a smart girl. She had read almost every classic novel ever written. She knew the names of composers like the back of her hand. She could play the piano like nobody's business and could write a song in less than half an hour. When teachers taught her something new, she understood it faster than any of her classmates.

One thing she would never understand was her twin.

When Eddie snuck into her bedroom, Patricia asked what he was doing there instead of acting happy to see him. She didn't snuggle with him when he jumped into her bed. She got angry when he offered to take her shopping. And yet, now that she was holding a stuffed yak in her arms, she was looking at Eddie like he was the greatest guy on the face of the planet.

Even though nothing was happening, no kisses or hugs or anything romantic whatsoever, Piper suddenly felt like she was intruding on the couple. There was something about the way they were looking at each other, their eyes almost seeming to glaze over…

Not wanting to ruin the moment, Piper disconnected the call without saying goodbye. Patricia would thank her for being such an amazing sister someday…maybe. If she ever figured out that stuffed yaks weren't more important than romantic gestures from a super cute boyfriend, that is.

* * *

"This," Eddie proclaimed, stepping out of the fitting room yet again, "Is exactly what I'm looking for!"

"Great," Patricia sighed in relief. "Let's go."

She spun around, wanting nothing more than to leave the dressing room behind. She really should've seen it coming when her boyfriend grabbed her elbow, keeping her from going very far.

"What's the hurry?" he asked. "You haven't even told me what you think about this shirt yet."

"I think it looks amazing on you. In fact, I think it's the most amazing shirt I have ever seen!"

The shirt wasn't that great. It looked exactly like their Anubis uniforms, or what they wore under their uniforms anyway: a plain white t-shirt. Patricia had no idea why someone would choose to wear white when they were going to an amusement park – wouldn't it show off his sweaty armpits more than other colors would? – but she was willing to say anything if it meant getting Eddie out of the store.

Her plan failed. Eddie backed up a few steps until he was standing in front of the three-way mirror. First, he studied the shirt from the front. Then, he turned to his left, flexing his muscles.

"I don't know," he finally said, frowning at his reflection. "Now that I'm really looking at it, I'm not sure if it really speaks to me."

"If that shirt speaks to you, we have bigger problems than finding you a new outfit."

Patricia knew she was being mean without Eddie shooting her that look. She couldn't help it. She hadn't managed to fall asleep until somewhere between four and five o'clock in the morning. By nine, Jody was calling her downstairs for breakfast. She hated shopping on days when she wasn't tired, but running on four hours of sleep made it even worse.

It also didn't help that they had already been at the mall for two hours. Eddie insisted the trip would go much faster if they worked in teams, finding clothes for Patricia first before searching for him. Patricia was used to shopping the easy way: following behind whoever was with her, catching anything they threw at her. It had been a long time since she needed to find her own things, which meant, even with Eddie pointing out the stores his mom liked shopping in, it still took her a long time to find anything she liked.

If Patricia was a bad shopper, Eddie was a horrible one. He spent more time in the fitting room than she did, only to find flaws with almost everything he tried on. All Patricia had to do was sit in the tiny hallway (thankfully there was a chair so she didn't have to sit on the floor) and give him her opinion every time he came out wearing something new. It sounded easy enough, but it was hard for someone who just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

"Eddie," Patricia whined, collapsing back into the chair lazily. "I don't see why I need to be here if you're not going to listen to me anyway."

"I'm trying to listen to you!" Eddie replied. His back was turned in her direction, but he could see her in the mirror as she stretched out her legs, allowing them to slide across the hall. "I don't think you're giving me your honest opinion."

"Yes, I am!"

"Are you really, Patricia? Because for the past five shirts, you've said all of them have looked amazing."

Patricia nodded fervently. "That's because the past five shirts have _been_ amazing! Everything looks that way on you, Eddie. You're just so hot!"

If she was telling him how hot he was, she really was desperate. Eddie swiveled around, folding his arms over his chest.

"Twenty more minutes," he promised. "Give me that much and then I'll take you home."

"Twenty minutes?" Patricia slammed her head against the wall in disappointment. "Can I at least go look around? It's not like I'm actually helping you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Eddie commented. "This mall has two levels. What if you're so tired, you don't realize what you're doing and you fall all the way to the bottom floor?"

"Then I guess you don't have to worry about ever taking me on another shopping trip."

She climbed to her feet, grabbing the bags holding her purchases and slipping them over her wrist. Finally – she was leaving the fitting rooms!

"Twenty minutes, Yacker!" Eddie called to her retreating back. "A minute longer and I'm leaving you here!"

Patricia didn't even acknowledge his threat. Eddie was a bad-boy on the outside, but there was no way he would really leave her stranded at the mall.

Now that she was walking around instead of sitting in one place, Patricia's fatigue started to fade. It wasn't like she loved malls or anything – clothes or no clothes, most of the stores sold things she'd never be interested in buying – but the fact that she was finally moving around again brought a small skip to her step. It felt good to stretch her legs.

Most of the shops she walked by without giving them a second look. A store devoted to fancy dresses, or the Amber Store, as she liked to call it. One holding nothing but books – that would be the place for Fabian and Mara. However, she couldn't find a place that called her name, which would include a shop that sold Sick Puppies CDs or anything remotely similar.

She was approaching the end of the mall. Her plan was to turn around and meet up with Eddie again – hopefully the twenty minutes would be over by then – but she paused upon reaching the final store.

"Alluring Aliens," she read aloud, studying the sign above the shop. "Too bad Alfie's not here; He would love this!"

Glancing around tentatively (just because no one knew who she was didn't mean she wanted strangers to think she was some crazy girl who considered aliens to be cool), Patricia made sure there wasn't anyone watching her. She was in luck; there wasn't a soul in sight. She slipped into the shop quickly.

_'Alfie would have a field day in a place like this!' _she thought as she walked around, laughing harder at every new item she saw. _'Maybe I can find some kind of souvenir to bring back for him! Of course, if I do that, I'd have to bring something back for Willow, too. And if Willow gets something, Joy and Mara will both want trinkets. If Joy and Mara both get presents, Jerome and Fabian will want them too, and if everyone else in the house gets one, it's only fair if KT does as well-,'_

Patricia shook her head. She was going to be broke by the time she returned home if she brought back something for all of her friends. Besides, Eddie probably wouldn't like the idea of her buying a present for Alfie. Eddie was weird when it came to her doing nice things for other guys – like when she cut oranges for Ben, for example – and she didn't want to start another fight.

Still…There was no harm in looking around, was there?

The store had everything: figurines shaped like little green creatures, masks, fake alien goo a person could use to trick their friends into thinking an alien was really around…There were even books on every topic, everything from keeping your home alien-proof to knowing what to do once aliens decided to declare war on the Earth.

"What's that supposed to be?" she wondered, stopping to study a hat made of tin foil. "No way! People actually believe this stupid looking thing is going to keep an alien from sucking out their brain?!"

"You won't think it looks so stupid when that hat saves your life!"

Patricia jumped in surprise. An old man was standing behind her, smiling proudly at the shelf she'd just been scoffing at.

"I hear the same story all the time," he explained, taking a step closer to Patricia. She took two steps back. "People come in, see these hats, and tell me, 'These things will never work!' A week or two later, they're back, thanking me for selling it to them before it was too late."

"Too late?" Patricia repeated.

"Too late to do them any good," the man clarified. "See, aliens can't breach through tin foil. As long as you have that helmet on, they won't be able to read your mind, take control of your body, or suck out your brain."

"Right…And you said people have thanked you for giving them these hats?"

"All the time," the man replied, nodding solemnly. "You'd be smart to buy one for yourself, little lady. Every time one of my customers laughs at this hat, I try convincing them to buy it. Those who listen to me return in a few weeks. Those who don't…"

He shrugged, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Although Patricia never liked malls, she had shopped in them before. She knew the types of sales associates who usually worked in the shops – overly-excited girls who talked too much or guys who looked good without shirts – but this guy didn't match either stereotype. He was old, probably around fifty or sixty, and the top of his head didn't have one strand of hair. The strangest thing about him however was the eye-patch covering his left eye.

"This is what happens when you don't know how to protect yourself," he explained, noticing what Patricia was staring at. "I used to be a non-believer. I thought aliens were nothing more than a fairy tale, like unicorns and Bigfoot. Actually, it was after my first abduction that I opened this store."

Patricia blinked, wondering if she'd misheard him. "Sorry…Did you say your first abduction?"

"It was 1973. I was around your age – at that stage in my life where I thought I knew everything – and one of my best friends had it in his head that aliens were real. I didn't believe him, of course. I thought he was crazy and I told him as much. He told me I'd be sorry for doubting him someday. 'They'll find you,' he said every time the topic was brought up. 'They'll find you, and they're not going to be happy when they find out you don't think they're real.' I laughed off his warning. That was the biggest mistake of my life."

Her twenty minutes had to be up. Patricia glanced toward the exit, knowing she should find Eddie before he started worrying. _'Five more minutes,' _she promised herself. _'I just want to hear the end of the story.'_

"It happened in the middle of the night," the man continued. "I'd been up late studying – I was supposed to take a test the next day – which was why, when I first saw him, I thought I was dreaming. He was huge, taller than any man I've ever seen, and his skin was a sickly shade of green. He had claws where his fingers should've been. The first time he touched me…" He shivered violently. "It was horrible. I can't tell you everything that happened – he put me to sleep before probing me – but when I woke up the next morning, the pain was almost unbearable."

"If you were asleep," Patricia demanded, "How do you know all of that actually happened?"

"Don't you see this eye-patch I'm wearing?" He pointed to the item in question. "That's how you know I'm telling the truth! A man doesn't go to sleep with a perfectly fine eye one night and wake up with a damaged one for no reason!"

Patricia had heard plenty of weird stories before – she did live in Anubis house, after all – but this one just didn't sound believable. Even if she did think aliens were real, which she didn't, why would they randomly kidnap someone and release them so easily? And what, exactly, had they done to his eye? Did they remove it from the socket? Maybe they poked it with their claw-like fingers and hurt the cornea?

Whether he was making the whole thing up or he was delusional enough to believe it, Patricia couldn't be sure. She did know one thing though: she had to leave soon or she was going to dissolve into laughter.

"Well, thanks for the lovely story, but I really should be going," she excused herself, finally stepping away from the tin foil hats that had started the whole discussion. "My boyfriend will be looking for me."

"Aren't you going to buy anything?" the man (despite how much they'd spoken to each other, he still hadn't revealed his name) called after her.

"I don't think so."

"It's your choice," he sighed, shaking his head in remorse. "You can't un-know something once you've heard it. The aliens know you've rejected them."

"I'll tell you what." Patricia paused, turning to give the guy one final glance. "The next time you get abducted, give the aliens my name, yeah? If they show up at my door, I'll believe they're real."

Eddie wasn't smiling when he finally spotted his girlfriend. He was waiting at the food court (with a half-eaten boy-sandwich in his hands) when she waltzed over, sitting down across the table as though she hadn't done anything wrong.

"You're late," he stated the obvious.

"It looks like you were really worried about me, too," Patricia pointed out, eyeing his meal. "It's nice to know that food comes before my safety."

"Yeah, like I have to worry about you, Yacker," Eddie scoffed, taking a huge bite of the sandwich. Sauce dribbled down his chin. "If someone tried to hurt you, they would be the one going home with a black eye."

Instead of answering him, Patricia reached for one of the napkins resting on the tabletop. She leaned over as far as she could so she could wipe remnants of the boy-sandwich from his face.

"Thanks," he said, albeit a little nervously. "That was very…nice…of you."

"I didn't do it for free," Patricia informed him. "In return, you're going to let me leave this dreaded place and take me back to your house-,"

"You don't want to spend the rest of your visit at the mall?"

"And then, once we're home, we're going to snuggle on the couch-,"

"I like where this is going."

"And I'm going to put my feet in your lap-,"

"That sounds – wait. Why are your feet going in my-,"

"And you are going to give me the most amazing foot massage in the history of foot massages!"

Like the whipped boyfriend he was, Eddie gave in without a fight. Tucking the rest of his sandwich into his jacket – "What?" he asked when Patricia glared at him. "I am not throwing away a perfectly good sandwich!" – they left the mall together, one gloating about how excited she was for her massage while the other grumbled incoherently.

_'And that,' _Patricia thought, smiling smugly, _'Is how you get out of ever going to the mall with your boyfriend again!'_

* * *

"What do you mean we're leaving at 3:30 in the morning?!"

Eddie didn't even flinch at Patricia's scream. He was used to her yelling at him by now; she'd only done it pretty much every day since they'd met.

"I mean we're leaving at 3:30 in the morning," he repeated, his attention focused more on his video game than his girlfriend. "Cedar Point opens their gates at ten and it's almost a six hour drive from here. Plus, I want to meet up with my friend before he starts his shift, which means we have to get there even earlier."

He managed to punch the "A" button just in time. A zombie would've gotten him had he not drop-kicked it.

"We're going to be in car for six hours?" Patricia asked, the shrillness in her voice causing Eddie to press "B" by mistake. His character lost a life. "I thought this place was right down the street!"

"It is right down the street. Several hundred miles down the street, to be exact."

The zombie was back, only this time, he had friends. Eddie pushed "A" and "B" at the same time. On the screen, the zombies fell one by one as his gun blasted them away.

"Is there anything else I should know about this trip before we leave?"

Uh-oh. The zombies had gotten smarter. Instead of chasing after Eddie on foot, now they were riding skateboards.

"I don't think so," he replied, shouting, "LOSER!" at the game when one of the skateboarding zombies ran him over. "We're leaving tomorrow morning by no later than 3:30 – don't even try asking me to wait longer than that. This time, I really will go without you – and we'll be on the road for approximately six hours. We'll spend all day in the park and-,"

"Where are we going to sleep?" Patricia interrupted.

The "Y" button allowed Eddie's character to jump. Up and up and up he went until he landed on one of the zombies. Since everyone knows zombies have horrible balance, it fell off its skateboard, leaving Eddie to steal it.

"There are some hotels almost right inside the park," he said, smirking as his human character easily left the zombies in the dust. "My mom is paying for us to stay in one of them, even though they're more expensive. She said it's her way of saying thanks to you because you came all the way here from the UK."

Now, the zombies had another method to catch Eddie: they were using skateboards with rockets attached.

"Why is your mom thanking me?" Patricia asked, her tone much softer now. "She's the one who invited me to stay."

"I don't know," Eddie answered honestly. "I wasn't really listening when she explained it to me. Something about you making me happy or taking me off her hands or something. I kind of zone out when my parents talk to me."

The zombies were closing in on him. Eddie knew he was going to lose – how could he compete with jet-powered skateboards? – but in the end, it wasn't the zombies who killed him. A huge llama overtook the screen, which Eddie's character ran into, not having enough time to slow down.

"Okay, that llama came out of nowhere! Did you see where it came from, Yacker?" There was no answer. "Yacker?"

By that time, Patricia was already on her way to the kitchen. Now that she knew what Jody had done, she wouldn't feel right leaving for Cedar Point without thanking her first. She had no idea why she'd chosen to pay for the hotel, but if Eddie was right and it was really to thank her for something she had wanted to do in the first place, then…Well, she wasn't sure what, exactly, she was going to say. It wasn't often that she was put in such awkward situations.

Jody was seated at the island when Patricia stuck her head into the kitchen. She smiled as soon as she spotted the redhead.

"I figured you would show up eventually," she said, pulling out the stool next to hers. "Eddie can get pretty engrossed in those games."

"Tell me about it," Patricia agreed. "He's been doing nothing but killing zombies for the past hour."

"Well, he won't be doing it much longer," Jody replied, glancing at her watch. She raised her voice, clearly making sure Eddie could hear her. "If my son plans on driving all the way to Ohio tomorrow morning, he's going to bed early tonight!"

"Sorry, can't hear you, mom!"

Jody rolled her eyes. "He's so excited. He hasn't been to Cedar Point in years, not since he was three anyway. I doubt he even remembers that trip. Eric and I were still together and we wanted to take a family vacation-,"

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing her mistake. If there was one thing Patricia had learned from living with so many different people over the years, it was that no one liked awkward pauses.

"I'm just as excited as Eddie is," she said, pretending Jody hadn't just mentioned her ex-husband. "My sister says Cedar Point sounds like a lot of fun. I'm not sure if I like roller coasters – I've never really had a chance to ride one – but from what I've heard, I bet I'm going to love them!"

"I'm sure you will," Jody laughed cheerfully. "Just don't let Eddie scare you. Knowing him, he'll tell you horror stories about people who have died on coasters. As long as you can tune him out, you'll be fine."

"Tuning him out shouldn't be difficult. I do it all the time anyway."

Both girls giggled. It wasn't until the kitchen was silent again that Patricia started twisting her hands nervously.

"Listen…Eddie told me what you're doing, paying for the hotel and everything, and I just wanted to say…I mean, it's really nice, I appreciate it a lot…You don't have to…"

She shut up when she felt a hand cover hers.

"You don't have to thank me, Patricia," Jody assured her. "I know we just met each other a year ago, but it feels like I've known you forever. I love having another girl around here and I couldn't imagine a better fit for Eddie than you. In so many ways, you already feel like my daughter."

For the first time in her life, Patricia had no idea what to say.

"I know it must've been hard, agreeing to come back here after last summer," Jody went on. "But you're here, and I – not to mention Eddie – couldn't be happier. He really likes you and all I want as his mother is to see him happy. You're the one person who can bring him that happiness. So yes, I am going to spoil you. Yes, I might do nice things to bribe you into never leaving my son again. I don't want to lose you any more than Eddie does, Patricia. You're important to both of us."

Upstairs, Eddie was shouting at his game again. Jody pushed away from the island, shaking her head.

"Sorry to cut this short," she apologized, "But I really do want Eddie in bed early tonight. You should try getting some sleep, too. Tomorrow's going to be such an exciting day for both of you!"

"Wait! Before you leave, I wanted to ask you something." Patricia glanced toward the staircase, making sure Eddie wasn't on his way down. "While we were at the mall, I went inside this store. It was all about aliens…"

"I know what place you're talking about," Jody nodded. "I mean, I've never been in the store before. Every time I pass by, I get this weird vibe, you know? Almost like something's warning me to stay away."

"That's probably what I should've done," Patricia muttered under her breath. To Jody, she said, "This is going to sound totally weird, but…Do you believe in aliens?"

To her surprise, Jody's first response wasn't to laugh at her, which would've been exactly what Patricia had done if somebody asked her the same question. Jody's face clouded over as she considered her answer.

"I don't not believe in aliens."

Without offering any kind of explanation, she fled the kitchen, leaving Patricia to ponder over what she'd said. She knew it was stupid – she shouldn't be questioning her beliefs just because some random old man thought she was wrong – but since leaving the store, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. He was old and probably had a few mental problems by this stage in his life, but how crazy was he? He had to be at least partly sane. How else could he run the store? Did he really think aliens were real or was it just a show to get people to buy from him?

"Mom!" Eddie's voice echoed through the house. "Why did you unplug my game?"

"You need your sleep, Edison," Jody told him. "I want you and Patricia to get to Cedar Point in one piece."

"But, mom-,"

"Keep arguing with me and you won't like the consequences, young man. I would hate to ground you in front of your girlfriend…"

Pushing aliens to the back of her mind, Patricia sprinted up the stairs. Finally – a parent who was willing to punish Eddie instead of pretending like he was the greatest person who ever lived. This was something she had to see!

* * *

**Author's Note: **Your job for this review?

Tell me, from the hints given in this chapter, what you think a "Sycon" is.

Ready...Set...

GUESS!


	3. Cedar Point

**Author's Note: **Guess who's back with another update?

So, remember when I said I would try to update twice a week? Well...I'm actually outlining this story as I go (for anyone who knows me, outlining is something I never do. I usually just wing it). As you can imagine, outlining speeds down my writing process and speeds it up at the same time. How? Well, writing the outline takes time, but once it's written, the actual writing of the chapter goes pretty quickly.

What am I trying to say with that huge speech? I'm telling you that the updates are going to come whenever I'm ready to update - which will be weekly at the very least, maybe more often than that.

Thank you so much for reading/reviewing! I love reading your reviews, especially when you try to guess what the mystery is (coughcough guessing what a 'Sycon' is for example). I'm also REALLY happy because you guys haven't let the reviews die down at all either. 13 for chapter one, 13 for chapter two. You are AMAZING people!

Ok...I guess I should let you guys read the new chapter now, shouldn't I?

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOA, the idea of Eddie wearing a bucket on his head (which I actually forgot happened on the show until I watched the episode where it happened the other night), or the 'tin can' line.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Cedar Point

Eddie set his alarm for 2:30 AM. He knew that was an hour earlier than he wanted to leave and it wouldn't take him a full sixty minutes to get around, but he doubted Patricia would wake up on her own, which meant part of that hour would be spent dragging her out of bed. He had a feeling his girlfriend wasn't going to be too happy about waking up at such an early hour, even if it was for a good cause.

After his mom had turned off his video game, forcing him into an early bedtime, Eddie had spent most of his time lying beneath his covers, staring at the clock. He thought sleep would come eventually – he'd never had a problem in that area before – but every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were roller coasters. He forced his eyes to shut several times, but when they popped open again to make sure he hadn't slept through his alarm, only a minute or two had gone by.

Finally, the alarm sounded. Eddie turned it off quickly before reaching for a fresh pair of pants. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him as he ran toward the bathroom, pausing only long enough to pound on Patricia's door.

"Rise and shine, Yacker!" he shouted as his fist hit the wood repeatedly.

There was no response, but it wasn't like Eddie would've stuck around to wait for one anyway. He had to get in the shower. The longer he waited, the less time Patricia would have in the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Eddie was finished. His hair was still wet and beads of water rested on his bare chest, but at least the shower was free for his girlfriend. He whistled as he stopped outside her room again, this time to tell her the bathroom was free.

"Yacker!" he called. "Patricia…Are you even awake?"

He pushed the door open cautiously – Patricia would kill him if she was awake and she caught him sneaking into her room – and was surprised when darkness met his eyes. After fumbling around for a few moments, he was able to find the light switch on the wall. He flipped it, engulfing the room in brightness.

Sure enough, Patricia was still lying on her bed, buried beneath several layers of blankets. She pulled one of them over her eyes as Eddie came closer, obviously trying to block out the light.

"Hey," Eddie said as he sat down on the edge of her mattress. "It's time to wake up, Patricia."

"Wattymeissit?" was her sleepy reply.

"What time is it?" Eddie repeated, having no idea whatsoever if that was what she'd said. "It's a little after 2:30."

"Too early," Patricia muttered, burrowing deeper into her blankets. "It won't take me an hour to get ready. Come back at…" She yawned at this point, holding up a finger to let her boyfriend know she wasn't done yet. "Come back at 3:15."

Eddie frowned. He knew Patricia was different than most girls and no, she probably wouldn't need a full hour to get around. He doubted she could do it in fifteen minutes though.

"3:15 is pushing it a little, don't you think?" he asked. "Maybe you should get up now just to be on the safe side. I'm the one driving us to Cedar Point, remember? You can take a nap on the way if you're still tired. I really think it would be a good idea to-,"

He left his final thought unfinished as a frustrated Patricia picked up her pillow, placing it over her head instead of under it. Apparently, she didn't want to listen to him right now.

Fine! If Patricia didn't want to listen, Eddie would just have to come up with a new battle plan, one that didn't involve any talking…

Smirking as an idea came to him, Eddie sprawled out beside Patricia. They were now face to face – or face to pillow, actually – and he puffed up his chest. Maybe if his girlfriend got a whiff of how amazing he smelled post-shower or she ran her hands through his still damp hair, it would excite her enough to lure her from the bed.

"I usually try not to do this because I know how crazy you are about my body," he said, gently removing the pillow covering the redhead's ear, "But I'm not wearing a shirt."

"Lost your shirt, have you? Why don't you go search your room and let me know if you can't find it?"

That wasn't the reaction he was going for.

"I didn't lose my shirt," he protested. "I chose not to wear it."

"You might want to change your mind before we get to the park," Patricia pointed out. "I'm not sure how many rides they'll let you on when you're half naked."

This wasn't getting him anywhere. If reasoning with Patricia didn't work and she wasn't going to take the time to appreciate his body, what else was there to do?

Well…There was one other thing he could try…

Jody always made sure there was a bucket in the bathroom. Eddie never understood why it was there or what purpose it was supposed to serve, but he knew exactly what he was going to use it for. Placing it in the tub, he allowed it to fill up with water.

"This is your last chance, Yacker," he threatened, struggling with the bucket's weight as he carried it into his girlfriend's room. "You can get out of bed the easy way or the hard way."

"Is it 3:15 yet?"

"No."

"Then I'm not leaving this bed."

Eddie shrugged. "You asked for it."

He was standing at the foot of her mattress as he raised the bucket in the air. Patricia, who still refused to open her eyes, had no idea what her boyfriend was up to until she, along with all her blankets, were drenched. The water was so cold and electrifying that she had no choice but to sit up straight, her terrifying eyes setting their sights on Eddie.

"Edison Sweet," she said as she finally got on her feet. "Please tell me you did not just dump water all over me."

Eddie knew he should be afraid. Patricia was stalking her way toward him, probably brainstorming how many different ways she could murder him. With her hair plastered to her face and her feet making squeaky noises as she walked, he found the whole scene more comical than scary.

"Hey, don't blame this on me," he said, doing his best to hide his smile as his dripping girlfriend came even closer. "I gave you plenty of chances to get out of bed."

"You. Dumped. An. Entire. Bucket. Of. Water. On. Me."

As though Eddie didn't comprehend what he had done, Patricia picked up the bucket, waving it in his face.

"Maybe next time, you'll try listening to me," Eddie suggested.

"Maybe next time, I'll try listening to you," Patricia repeated in a tone that was clearly meant to sound like Eddie. "Maybe you should try listening to this, Weasel!"

He really should've seen it coming as soon as she retrieved the bucket. One second, it was in her hands. The next, it was sitting on Eddie's shoulders, covering his head.

Yes, Patricia was angry and yeah, Eddie didn't particularly like his new hat, but at least his plan had worked. Now that she was soaking wet, Patricia couldn't crawl back into bed. Instead, she headed to the bathroom, muttering something about inconsiderate boyfriends and why had she come all the way to America just to be with such a rude person.

By 3:35, Eddie was tapping his foot with impatience as he leaned against his car. Patricia knew perfectly well what time he wanted to leave. Why was she late? She was probably doing it just to smite him, to teach him a lesson for his little stunt with the water. If she didn't show up in the next two minutes, he would teach _her_ a lesson about how important it was to be on time!

"Sorry," Patricia apologized as she run up, her hair flying in every direction. "I was ready to go on time, but your mum stopped me on my way out."

"No, she didn't," Eddie argued. "She said goodbye to us last night so she could sleep in this morning."

"Well, she must've changed her mind about sleeping in," Patricia replied. "She thought we might've forgotten to pack any sunscreen, so she wanted to make sure we had a bottle. She also told me to remind you to be careful and not to fall asleep behind the wheel."

Eddie rolled his eyes. Trust his mom to be the one who woke up at three o'clock just to make sure her son remembered sunscreen.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked, throwing open the driver's side door. "Let's get out of here before my mom thinks of something else we might forget!"

Patricia followed his example, taking her spot in the seat beside his. After making sure they were both buckled in and all of their suitcases were loaded ("No suitcase gets left behind!" Patricia stated firmly as she checked to make sure all her bags were there), Eddie started the engine. He backed out of his driveway gracefully and three seconds later, they were on the road.

The vehicle was silent as they headed down the deserted street. Huh; it looked like they were the only people crazy enough to go for a drive in the middle of the night. Patricia stared out her window, wondering what she was supposed to do for the next six hours. At least once the sun was up, she could actually enjoy the scenery on the other side of the glass. Now though, all she could see was the moon shining dully above her.

"I hate road trips," she muttered under her breath.

"I know six hours sounds like a long time, but it won't be so bad," Eddie assured her. "You have me to keep you company!"

"I don't hate road trips because they're never-ending," Patricia scoffed. "I hate them because…Never mind."

It was too late. She had Eddie's full attention now.

"No, I don't want to never mind! Tell me the rest of the story!"

"You don't want to hear it. It happened a long time ago anyway."

"All the more reason to share it!" Eddie elbowed his girlfriend when she shook her head stubbornly. "Come on, Yacker. I know next to nothing about your childhood. Can't you reveal one little story?"

"Fine," Patricia relented with a sigh. "When I was six, we went on this family vacation. Not just my parents and Piper and me, but everyone came, including aunts, uncles, cousins…Anyway, we all rode in separate cars and we stopped every few hours for bathroom breaks. At one of our pit stops, somehow I ended up getting locked in the bathroom. I guess my parents must've figured I got in a car with one of my cousins. They didn't come back for me until several hours later and I just…I haven't enjoyed car trips since then."

Eddie couldn't help it; he had to laugh.

"So even when you were a kid, you had a problem with getting locked in bathrooms?" He sobered up the moment he noticed Patricia's death glare. "Hey, you don't need worry about that happening on this trip. I'm not going to leave you behind…even if you do somehow manage to lock yourself in another bathroom."

Not wanting to talk about her weird childhood again, Patricia reached for the radio, turning up the volume so it would be impossible to have another conversation. Sticking her tongue out at the song choice (some sort of stupid sounding ballad), she flipped through the stations until she found one playing a Sick Puppies song. She and Eddie began jamming to the tune, banging their heads to the noisy beat.

And so began their six hour journey.

* * *

"I don't know," Eddie complained a few hours later, "How I'm supposed to find my friend when there are so many people here!"

He and Patricia were finally at Cedar Point. Well, Cedar Point's parking lot, anyway. Traffic hadn't been quite as bad as Eddie expected, so they'd made pretty good time. Even after stopping at McDonald's for breakfast, there were still almost twenty-five minutes left before the park would officially open.

Since they were both tired of the car, Eddie and Patricia opted to exit it while deciding what their next move should be. Patricia thought they should get in line and try to find Eddie's friend once they were inside. Eddie, on the other hand, argued that since his friend would be working, he wouldn't be able to text and let them know where to meet him at. They needed to meet him before they went in, not after.

While Eddie paced around the vehicle, holding his cell phone in the air in order to receive better reception, Patricia sat on the hood of his car. She swung her legs back and forth happily, relieved that she was finally getting a chance to stretch. Sitting in a car for six hours wasn't a task she planned on doing very often.

"Maybe he's already working," she suggested, nodding toward the park, where a few of the rides were moving. "The employees test-run everything before the guests are allowed in, right?"

"He got someone else to test-run his ride today," Eddie responded distractedly, his attention focused on his phone. "I let him know we were here, so he should – Oh, he just texted me! He's waiting for us somewhere near the entrance!"

"What are we still doing here?" Patricia demanded, jumping off the car. "Let's go meet this amazing friend of yours!"

Eddie knew his girlfriend well enough to recognize the teasing in her voice. She could care less about meeting his friend; she was just having fun mocking him for being so excited about it.

"Be nice to him," he warned as he followed at her heels, weaving between cars as they made their way across the parking lot. "This guy has been my best friend since before I could even talk. It would be nice if you could make a good first impression for once."

"Be nice?" Patricia repeated, glancing over her shoulder at Eddie. "When have I ever met someone I wasn't nice to?"

"Let's see…There was me, when I first came to Anubis…My dad, what with all those pranks you constantly pulled on him…KT, when you threw orange juice at her…"

He didn't have time to finish his list. They had made their way to the main entrance, which meant his friend could be anywhere. He started scanning the crowd, trying to spot the familiar face.

"Eddie!"

Eddie spun around just in time to spot another person running toward him. Patricia watched as the other boy ran up, engulfing her boyfriend in a manly hug. She couldn't help but smirk. Eddie really was such a girl sometimes.

"It's been too long, buddy!" Eddie said once his friend released him. "I haven't seen you since last summer!"

"That's because you're going to that fancy boarding school now," the other boy laughed. "I guess you forget about the insignificant people like me when you're around all those English folks."

"I could never forget about you! There was just…a lot going on last term. I didn't really have time to write or anything."

From what she could tell so far, Patricia didn't hate this new guy. He was a little taller than Eddie – only by a few inches – and had wavy blonde hair that fell into his green eyes whenever he smiled. He kind of reminded her of Mick: probably a jock at school, good at sports, and way too popular for his own good.

As Eddie and his friend continued talking, Patricia cleared her throat, reminding them of her presence. Her boyfriend swung his arm around her shoulders quickly, finally bringing her into the conversation.

"Yacker, this is my best friend, Merlin Alkine," he introduced. "Merlin, this is my girlfriend, Patricia Williamson."

"Merlin? What kind of a name is that?"

Patricia didn't need Eddie's pointed glare to know she'd said something wrong. Making fun of the guys' name, especially considering the fact that he had been kind enough to give them free tickets, probably wasn't her brightest idea.

"Sorry," she apologized. "What I meant to say was Merlin is such a…lovely…name?"

To her surprise, Merlin didn't appear to be offended. Actually, he felt quite the opposite if his laughter was any indication.

"I don't care if you think my name is weird. Believe it or not, but I get that reaction a lot." He extended his hand. "It's really nice to meet you, Patricia. Eddie has told me so much about you."

"Likewise," she said, slipping her hand into his.

That was when it happened.

Patricia couldn't explain it, exactly. There was something weird in the way Merlin held her hand, something a little…off. Goosebumps appeared on her arm and she suddenly felt chilled even though the sun was shining high in the sky. She wanted to pull back, to force Merlin to let her go, but she didn't know how to do it without being rude.

"Patricia Williamson," Merlin stated, his eyes locking on hers. Her first thought was to look away, but for some reason, she couldn't. "Twin sister to Piper Williamson. Lives in Anubis house during the school year. Is a best friend to Joy, Fabian, Alfie, and pretty much everyone else who lives at Anubis. Hates road trips because of something that happened to her a child. Has a fear of feet."

All Patricia could do was stand there like an idiot, her mouth hanging open. How – How had he known all that about her?

"That…" Eddie said slowly, and for a second Patricia wondered if he could feel the weirdness in the air, "Was awesome! Do me next!"

He stepped between his girlfriend and his best friend, breaking their hands apart. As soon as Patricia was free, her goosebumps faded as suddenly as they'd come.

"I should get to work," Merlin said, stepping away from the couple. "I'll probably see you guys around sometime today. If not, I'll let you know when I'm on my break so we can meet up again."

"Sounds good," Eddie agreed. "Thanks again for the tickets!"

"No problem," Merlin replied. "Anything for my best bud and his super cute girlfriend."

He walked away, but not before glancing over his shoulder one final time. It wasn't Eddie he was looking at; it was Patricia.

"So?" Eddie asked as soon as Merlin was out of ear-shot. "What did you think?"

"I don't know," Patricia answered honestly. "Don't you think it was a little strange how he knew so much about me?"

Eddie shook his head. "Nah. I'm sure I've told him all that stuff before. He just pays really close attention to detail."

The only problem with his theory was that Eddie couldn't have told Merlin 'all that stuff' before. She'd never told anyone about the time she was locked in the bathroom, not until Eddie got the truth out of her only several hours prior to her meeting Merlin. When would he have had a chance to tell Merlin that story?

"Wow. They're really starting to line up," Eddie commented, nodding toward the main entrance. "Are you ready to take your first step inside an amusement park, Yacker?"

She wanted to shout no. She wanted to tell her boyfriend that Merlin creeped her out and the last thing she should do was spend an entire day in the same park he was working at. She wanted to climb back in the car and go back to Eddie's house, where she didn't have to worry about people knowing her entire life story just by touching her hand.

Instead of saying any of that though, Patricia simply pasted a smile on her face and said, "Bring it on!"

Because really…Who was she to ruin Eddie's mystery-free summer?

* * *

"See, the greatest thing about Cedar Point," Eddie was saying as he took Patricia's hand, "Is that they have sixteen roller coasters. That's why some people call this place, 'America's Roller Coast'. I couldn't ride very many of them last time I was here because I was too short, but this time, I want to hit all of them!"

"I think you're forgetting about the other rides," Patricia pointed out. "I see more than just roller coasters here."

"Yeah, but we'll get around to riding those later," Eddie brushed off her suggestion. "The first thing we need to do is find out whether or not you can handle the coasters."

"Excuse me?" Patricia stopped short, pulling her hand out of Eddie's grasp. "If you can ride the coasters without a problem, I'm sure I can, too."

"Maybe, maybe not. Just to be on the safe side, we should start off with something small." He took her hand again, holding on tighter this time. "I have the perfect one in mind!"

He led her through the park, refusing to relinquish her hand. It felt strange at first – Patricia had never been one of those girls who loved flaunting her relationship in everyone's face – but at the same time, she couldn't wipe the smile from her lips. After spending an entire semester performing ceremonies to wake up dead people and what not, it was nice to see Eddie in such a care-free environment. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him so happy.

"There she is!" Eddie finally announced, stopping in front of what had to be the world's tiniest roller coaster. "The Jr. Gemini!"

All it took was one look at the line to prompt Patricia into asking, "You're joking, right?"

"Why would I be joking?" Eddie scoffed. "This was one of the only coasters I could go on last time I was here. Everyone uses it as a warm-up before trying the bigger ones."

"Yeah, maybe everyone who's under the age of four!"

There was no way Patricia was going on the Jr. Gemini. Eddie could say what he wanted to, but she could see the evidence right before her eyes. The only adults in line were those who had small children. Not one teenager was accounted for.

"Well, if you'd rather skip this one, I guess we could start with the regular Gemini," Eddie said, pointing to a much larger wooden coaster not very far away. "It's a little more exciting than the Jr. version, but if you think you can handle it…"

"I know I can handle it, Weasel," Patricia stated firmly.

"We'll see about that, Yacker," Eddie replied, motioning for her to take the lead. "Ladies first."

The line was short, but Eddie had time to tell Patricia a few things about the Gemini while they waited. Apparently it was rated with a five, which meant aggressive thrill ride – it probably wasn't her best choice to go on it instead of a tamer coaster – and it was a racing coaster, which meant two trains ran at the same time, side by side.

Although she would never admit it, Patricia was relieved when Eddie insisted on riding in the same train instead of racing each other. She was brave on the outside, but inside, she was freaking out. Having Eddie sitting next to her would make things a little better.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Eddie asked once they were on the train, buckled in and the safety bar locked over their legs. "It's not too late. We can get off right now if you want to."

"You can get off if you don't want to ride," Patricia informed him. "I'm not a chicken."

"Neither am I!" was Eddie's clever response.

"Well, that's good then," Patricia said, "Considering the fact that we're already moving."

Sure enough, the train was pulling out of the station. Eddie, who was sitting closer to the other train than Patricia, threw his hand out in order to high-five the people they were racing against. He was too busy to notice his girlfriend's knuckles turning white as she gripped their lap bar for dear life.

"This is great!" he exclaimed as they started climbing the first – and biggest – hill. "…Patricia? You're not going to faint on me or something, are you?"

"N-No," Patricia managed to stutter. She was staring straight ahead. That way, she couldn't look around and see how high they were getting. "I'm having the time of my life!"

Eddie watched her for a moment, trying to decide whether or not she was lying. After everything they'd gone through with Sibuna, it seemed kind of funny that a harmless roller coaster would scare her.

"You're such a wimp," he declared, scooting closer to the usually fearless redhead. "You know, you can grab onto me if you get scared. I won't complain."

"I think I'll be just fine without your help, thanks," Patricia retorted.

"Whatever you say," Eddie replied, shaking his head. She was too stubborn for her own good sometimes. "We'll be heading downhill in five…four…three…two…one…"

The train paused as it reached the top of the hill, giving Patricia just enough time to look at how deep the drop was going to be. She let go of the lap bar and clutched Eddie's arm instead, closing her eyes as they started to sink.

At first, the screams coming out of her mouth were from fear. However, once Patricia chanced opening one of her eyes, and then the other, she realized that maybe there wasn't anything to be afraid of. Yes, the coaster was moving quickly and making sharp turns and travelling uphill and downhill, but was it really that scary or was it…fun?

Beside her, Eddie was doing a mixture of screams and laughter. Obviously, he wasn't afraid. Maybe that sink-to-the-bottom-of-her-stomach feeling she had whenever the train plunged downward and the way some of the turns left her breathless was supposed to be exhilarating in a good way, not a bad one.

By the time their train came to a stop, Patricia had made up her mind: roller coasters were amazing!

"Let's go again," she suggested as soon as they were given the okay to unbuckle. "This time, we're racing!"

"Okay," Eddie nodded, "But let's make the race a little more exciting, shall we? If I win, you have to let me take you out to eat sometime this summer at a real restaurant."

Patricia blanched. She didn't do restaurants!

"What's the matter?" Eddie taunted. "Scared you're going to lose?"

"As if," Patricia scoffed. "You can take me out to eat if you win, but if I win, you have to do anything I tell you to for twenty-four hours."

Eddie didn't even question her terms. He offered his hand willingly and Patricia slipped hers into it as they shook, making the bet official.

Without another word, the couple ran off, the race already beginning as they rejoined the line. Somebody was about to go down!

* * *

The hours seemed to fly by as Eddie and Patricia made their way around the park, skipping over any rides that weren't roller coasters. Most of the lines were fairly long, but they passed their time easily, talking about anything and everything. They shared stories about when they were kids – Eddie complaining about how boring it was to be an only child while Patricia offered to give him Piper, who had always been her parents' favorite daughter – and tossed insults at each other as well because…Well, because it was what they did. They wouldn't be Eddie and Patricia if they weren't mean to each other at least fifty times a day.

Although she was having fun with Eddie, Patricia could feel her energy draining as the sun started to set. She wasn't the only tired one; Eddie stifled a yawn behind his hand, waving it off when Patricia asked if he was getting sleepy.

"I'm fine," he lied, yawning for the second time in less than thirty seconds. "What do you want to do next?"

"Maybe we should go to our hotel," Patricia suggested.

"Why would we do that?"

"Because we're both worn out."

This time, Eddie didn't argue. He _was_ tired – he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, if any – and honestly, nothing sounded better than going to an air-conditioned hotel where he could relax for a while and give his sore feet a chance to rest.

"I wonder if I should call Merlin before we leave," he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. "He never let me know when he was going on his break."

"He knows we're staying here for a few days, doesn't he?" Patricia reminded him. "Maybe he was busy today and thought tomorrow would work out better."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Eddie was staring at his phone, a puzzled expression on his face. Patricia stood on her tiptoes, trying to spot whatever was bothering him. "What is it?"

"I have a missed call," he explained. "Well, seven missed calls actually."

"From who?"

"I don't know. I don't recognize the number."

Shrugging it off, Eddie put his phone away. The number wasn't a familiar one and whoever had called him hadn't bothered to leave any messages. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing to worry about.

Too bad there's always something to worry about when you're an Osirion.

"Hey, Yacker!" Eddie called after his girlfriend, who was already several feet ahead of him. "Do you hear that music?"

She turned to face him, tilting her head slightly to the right as she strained to hear the song over the screams coming from the nearest coaster. Sure enough, country music filled her ears.

"I hate country," she complained, wondering why Eddie had stopped her for such a stupid song. "I thought we were going to the hotel?"

There was no response from her boyfriend, who was too busy swaying back and forth, trying (and failing) to dance. She glanced around, hoping there was nobody around to witness his sad attempts. Thankfully, they'd managed to find a secluded area.

Eddie danced his way closer to Patricia, who nervously took a step back. "No."

He continued dancing anyway, motioning for her to join him. He even threw open his arms, offering his hands to her.

"No," she said again, this time not quite so convincingly. It was hard to stand her ground when all she wanted to do was laugh.

"Come on," Eddie pleaded, still swaying as he took Patricia's hands, moving them back and forth, back and forth. "I'm just a tin can standing in front of a tank, asking her to dance with me."

That was all it took. Patricia allowed Eddie to pull her closer to him and they danced together.

In the middle of Cedar Point.

While the moon and stars shined down on them.

It was stupid, sweet, fun, and romantic all at the same time. Patricia wasn't sure if she should feel embarrassed – what if somebody walked by and saw what they were doing? – Or disgusted – she and Eddie were both covered in sweat, after all.

She settled for feeling content as she laid her head on Eddie's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as they continued to spin around in tiny circles, their feet hardly moving. The song changed – unfortunately, the next one was still country – but she was too busy clinging to her boyfriend to care about the awful taste in music.

In that moment, everything else disappeared. It didn't matter what Eddie and Patricia had gone through at Anubis – all their fights, the break-up, jealousy, sinners – or that Patricia had spoken to some weird old man about aliens and the strange feeling she had after shaking hands with Merlin. Their worries were gone, vanished into thin air.

For the first time, the couple only had one thing to worry about: making sure neither of them ever let the other go.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Your Sibuna mission for this chapter, if you choose to accept it, is to answer these questions:

1. What do you think about Merlin Alkine? Team Good? Team Evil? Just some random guy Eddie is friends with?

2. Who won the bet they made before riding Gemini again? Eddie or Patricia?

3. WHO CALLED EDDIE SEVEN TIMES?!

Can you solve the mytery before time runs out?


	4. Visions in the Night

**Author's Note: **Is it okay if I cry right now? Seriously; you guys make me want to cry. THAT'S how amazing you are! I put the questions at the end of the chapters for two reasons: 1. So I know whether or not I'm making the plotline mysterious enough, and 2. So I get to hear your ideas about what's going to happen next. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING THEM!

For anyone who's curious, here are the results so far:

Question 1: What do you think about Merlin Alkine?

Team Good: One vote

Team Evil: Six votes

Between Good and Evil: one vote

Remaining cautious/reserving the right to pass judgment later: one vote

Question 2: Who won the bet they made before riding Gemini again?

Eddie: Four votes

Patricia: Three votes

Question 3: Who called Eddie seven times?

There are too many choices to list for this one! You guys were full of very creative ideas. Who REALLY called Eddie though? Keep reading and you'll probably find out.

Once again, thank you for all your reviews! I love reading them and I'm happy to know that you're all enjoying the story so far! I hope you continue reading AND trying to figure out the mystery before Eddie and Patricia solve it!

PS. A special shout-out goes to golferbabe who informed me that a 'sycon' is a type of sponge. However, for the sake of this story, I'm letting everyone know right now: this Sycon is NOT a sponge.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from HOA or Cedar Point. Or Aquafrehs. The hotel Peddie stays at though? Yeah, that's a real hotel. And yes, the room they're in is also a real room. Yeah, that's right - I did my research!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Visions in the Night

Jody Miller was folding laundry when the phone started to ring. She set aside the pair of underwear she was folding – Eddie's underwear, to be precise – and ran to the kitchen.

"Eddie?!" she shouted into the receiver breathlessly.

"I was under the impression that Edison was spending the summer at your house. You haven't lost him already, have you?"

The voice was one Jody had heard plenty of times before, but it wasn't the one she'd been expecting.

"What do you want, Eric?" she sighed. "You have our son for nine months out of the year. I only get to see him for three. This is supposed to be my special time with him."

"Even when Edison is here at school, you rang me every day to check on him," Eric, also known as Mr. Sweet, replied. "Am I not allowed the same courtesy?"

Jody drummed her nails on the island impatiently. It wasn't that she hated her ex-husband. He was a very nice man and she respected him as Eddie's father. Sometimes though, she wished she would've ended the marriage before they decided to have kids. She loved her son and wouldn't trade him for the world, but because of him, Eric would never leave her life completely. Divorce was supposed to be easy: get mad at spouse, leave spouse, never see spouse again. Things didn't quite work that way when a child was involved.

Besides, Eric had a point this time. During the school year, Jody had called too many times to count, always wanting to know what Eddie was up to. Was he enjoying his classes? Did he like his teachers? His grades weren't slipping, were they? How were his friends doing? Had he and Patricia gotten back together yet? Eric answered each of her questions thoroughly, even if it meant staying on the phone for hours at a time. She owed him.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to call Eddie's cell phone if you want to speak with him tonight," Jody explained. "He and Patricia are at Cedar Point."

"Are they really? Well, I'm glad they're getting a chance to travel! I've heard Cedar Point is a favorite tourist attraction for people their age!"

"Tourist attraction…Right…" Jody glanced at the clock nervously. It was getting late. "Listen, I'm expecting another call soon, so if there's nothing else…"

"Actually, I was wondering how Edison has been enjoying his summer," Eric said. "I haven't heard from him since the term ended and I just wanted to make sure he's…okay."

Jody didn't know a lot about the school her ex-husband was headmaster of. She knew he hadn't wanted Eddie to attend for years, which was fine with her. She didn't want to send him to a school in the UK anyway. However, once he finally requested Eddie's presence so he could get to know him better, Jody didn't ask questions. She didn't want to know why Eric thought their son would be in danger or any stories about him that would scare her half to death. If Eddie wanted to solve mysteries, that was fine with her. He could do it when his father was in charge of him instead of putting it on her shoulders.

"Eddie has been busy since coming home," she answered Eric's question. "He spent the first few weeks hanging out with his friends – I think they played some football and hung out at the pool. You know, normal guy stuff – and we did some mother/son bonding things as well. He even helped me clean the house so it would be spotless by the time Patricia arrived. You should've heard him go on and on about how excited he was that she was coming back to America! I think he'd given up hope of it ever happening again after last year."

"I trust Miss Williamson had a safe flight?" Eric inquired.

"I don't know, actually. Eddie picked her up from the airport and by the time they got back to the house, her jet-lag was kicking in. I didn't get a chance to talk to her very much between that and their sudden departure for Cedar Point. They got the invite the same day Patricia arrived and decided to take off a little over twenty-four hours later."

Silence came from the other end of the line. Jody knew the man well enough to know exactly what he was thinking. "What's wrong now, Eric?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"Because you're only quiet after I say something you don't agree with."

She heard him draw a deep breath. "It's just…Don't you find it a little strange that Edison would get invited to Cedar Point the same day his girlfriend shows up? Why didn't his friends ask him to go before he had company?"

"No, I don't find it a little strange," Jody replied curtly. She shouldn't have to defend her actions to anyone, much less her ex-husband. She'd taken care of Eddie on her own for years; she could handle caring for him over the summer without someone watching over her shoulder. "The best friend he has known for his entire life, a boy whom I've let inside my house hundreds of times, is working at the amusement park this summer. He had access to free tickets, which he gave to Eddie. End of the story."

"You're right, of course you're right," Eric agreed quickly. He knew better than to start a fight with Jody. "Could you give Edison and Miss Williamson a message next time you speak to them? I'd do it myself, but the battery on this blasted phone is almost dead and I seem to have misplaced the charger…"

A _beep_ sounded in Jody's ear, causing her to clap her hands in excitement. She was getting another call. Maybe this time, it would be Eddie!

"Give me your message quickly," she ordered. "My other call just came in!"

"Just remind the two of them about their summer reading lists," Eric pleaded. "I know summer is about having fun, but I would hate to see them fall behind with their studies!"

Eddie and Patricia were having the time of their lives at Cedar Point and Eric wanted her to remind them about their homework? Yeah, like that was going to happen! Giving him a very short goodbye – "Sure thing, Eric. Talk to you later!", - she switched from his call to the one waiting for her.

"Mom!" Eddie's voice filled her ear. "You forgot to tell me which hotel you made reservations at-,"

"No, I didn't," Jody argued. "I chose not to tell you so you'd have to call me! How was your first day at the park? Ohh, I hope the two of you had fun! You didn't have any car problems, did you? I know we had the car looked at not very long ago, but you never know when something could go wrong. You remembered to wear sunscreen, right?"

"What?" Eddie asked, obviously not keeping up with her stream of questions. "I'll tell you everything later, mom. Right now, I need to know what hotel we're staying at-,"

"Let me talk to Patricia!"

She could hear shuffling around and she assumed Eddie was asking Patricia whether or not she wanted to take the phone. A female voice spoke up – Patricia complaining about something from the sounds of it – and then Eddie was back.

"Patricia…can't talk right now," he stammered, lowering his voice like he was afraid of someone overhearing him. "Look, I love you and everything, but Patricia is standing two feet away. We already took the suitcases out of the car because we thought we knew where we were going, but then we realized that you never told us and now she has to carry everything while I talk to you. If you don't tell me which hotel we're staying at in the next thirty seconds, she might kill me. Literally."

"Are you sure she can't talk? I really wanted to find out if she liked her first roller coaster!"

"She loved it, and I'm sure she'll be happy to give you all the details later," Eddie responded. "Please, mom, I'm begging you. Just tell me what the name of the hotel is."

First an unwanted conversation from her ex, now a son who didn't want anything to do with her. Jody sighed. Apparently, this wasn't her night for phone calls.

"You're staying at a place called Hotel Breakers. It shouldn't be too hard to find; according to the internet, it's only a two minute walk from the park – Eddie, are you still there?"

The dial-tone was her only answer.

* * *

"This is where we're staying?" Patricia wondered, eying the building suspiciously. "But it looks so…fancy."

"I bet it looks even fancier inside," Eddie commented. "Come on, Yacker. Let's go check in!"

Even from the outside, Patricia could tell that Jody had outdone herself. Hotel Breakers was huge, the type of place only rich people stayed at. A cheaper hotel would've been fine; Jody hadn't been kidding about wanting to spoil her.

While his girlfriend stood in the middle of the lobby, her jaw dropping as she stared at the huge chandelier dangling over her head, Eddie headed to the front desk.

"Hi," he greeted the man sitting there. "I have a reservation for Eddie Miller."

"Name?"

"…Eddie Miller."

The man – Pedro, if his nametag was correct – didn't even glance at his customer as he typed on his computer.

"Ah, yes," he finally said. "You'll be staying in the Lakeview suite, Mr. Miller."

"Suite?" Eddie repeated, grabbing the desk to keep from falling over in shock. "Did you say I'm staying in a _suite_?"

"That is what you requested, no?" Pedro asked, staring at the computer again. "I could try finding you a different room if you don't want the suite, but it's very late notice and I'm not sure-,"

"I'll take the suite," Eddie clarified quickly.

Patricia raised an eyebrow when she spotted Eddie heading toward her, twirling a key around on his finger. For some reason, he looked awfully proud of himself.

"What did you do?" she demanded, not understanding why he was so happy.

"_I _didn't do anything," he replied, which only left Patricia questioning him even more than before. "My mother though, the same woman who you refused to speak with ten minutes ago, has gotten us a suite."

"Shut up!"

Their fatigue forgotten, the young couple headed to their room, following the directions Pedro had given Eddie. Patricia was bouncing on the balls of her feet as Eddie unlocked the door. She pushed him out of the way, wanting to be the first one to see it.

Needless to say, the suite was huge. There was a kitchen area (complete with a refrigerator, coffee maker, and microwave), a living room (including a couch, a table, and even a TV), a screened-in balcony that overlooked the lake, and a bedroom with two queen-sized beds and a built-in bathroom.

"This," Patricia declared, "Is officially the best vacation I've ever been on!"

"I know!" Eddie concurred, setting the bags he was carrying down in the master bedroom. "You can choose which bed you want. It's not a big deal to me. I'll take whichever one you don't pick."

"Oh." Patricia studied the two mattresses wearily. "So, we'll be sleeping in the same room then?"

It was a stupid thing to worry about. Patricia and Eddie had known each other for almost two years now and had spent most of that time dating. Sharing a room – especially one as big as their suite – really shouldn't have been that big of a deal. Still, the idea of sleeping only inches away from each other was a foreign concept to her.

"We don't have to sleep in the same room," Eddie pointed out. "I figured we would, but it's not a big deal if you don't want to. I could stay in here while you take the couch-,"

"Why do I have to take the couch?"

"Fine. I'll sleep on the couch. You can have the bedroom."

He picked up the bags again, carrying them back to the living room. Patricia didn't miss it as he breezed past her, muttering something under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Did you just call me stupid?"

"Of course not. I would never say something like that about you," Eddie said, casting a sweet smile. "I did say your idea is stupid, though. I don't see what the big deal is about sharing a room. It's not like we've never had a sleepover before."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I would remember something like that."

"You should remember it! It was at Anubis and I had to sneak past Victor so I could protect you from…Ohh."

He trailed off, but he'd already said too much. Patricia felt her demeanor falling.

"You spent the night with me while I was a sinner."

"Yeah," Eddie confirmed. "You had us all convinced that KT was the real sinner and I couldn't leave you alone with her all night, not when there was a chance of her stealing your soul…" He ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head. "You know what? You're right. Maybe sleeping in the same room isn't such a good idea."

"You really think so?" Patricia asked. "I was about to offer you one of the beds, but if you'd be more comfortable on the couch, I suppose-,"

He ran into the room before she could change her mind.

Patricia wasn't sure why she invited her boyfriend back into the bedroom. It still scared her a little, the idea of them sleeping so close together, but at the same time, she couldn't let the sinner Patricia win. Sinner Patricia had gotten to spend the night with her boyfriend. Regular Patricia should have the same luxury.

She felt a little queasy as she closed the door. It was now or never.

* * *

Eddie could almost feel the tension in the air as he and Patricia got ready for bed. She dug through one of her suitcases, found her pajamas, and headed into the bathroom without saying a word. He changed while she was busy, slipping into a more comfortable pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt. He considered jumping into bed while his girlfriend was still gone, giving her the perfect excuse not to talk to him when she returned, but then he remembered that he hadn't brushed his teeth yet. Eddie Miller always brushed his teeth before falling asleep.

Since their suite only had one bathroom, he would either have to wait for Patricia to finish up or join her. He decided the latter would be faster.

"Patricia!" he shouted while knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Go away!" her voice instructed. "It's not your turn yet!"

"All I need to do is brush my teeth," Eddie begged. "Let me do that, and then you can have the bathroom for as long as you want it."

To his surprise, the door actually swung open. Patricia, who was also wearing shorts and a very form-flattering shirt, motioned for him to enter.

"Piper," she explained, noticing what her boyfriend was staring at. "She changed a few of my outfits without my realizing it. I guess she didn't like the pajamas I packed…I look awful, don't I?"

"No, no!" Eddie disagreed, shaking his head from side to side. "Awful is definitely not the word I would use to describe how you look."

Patricia turned away, trying to hide the blush creeping into her cheeks. She was thankful when Eddie took his spot in front of the sink, effectively ending their conversation as he placed a tube of toothpaste on the counter.

"Aquafresh?" she snickered, reaching for the tiny tube. "Aqua means water, doesn't it? Is this stuff guaranteed to make your breath as fresh as water or something? Because, if that's the case, couldn't you skip the paste and just use regular old water?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Eddie said, snatching the toothpaste from his girlfriend's hand, "But I've been using this brand for years and it hasn't failed me yet."

"Whatever," Patricia replied, taking a step closer to him so they could share the mirror. "Just keep to your side of the sink, yeah?"

She set to work brushing her hair, wincing every time she hit a snarl. Eddie was paying more attention to her than the task before him. As he went to squirt toothpaste onto his brush, he missed his target by a long-shot.

Instead of landing where it was supposed to, the paste shot into the air, plastering itself to Patricia's cheek.

The bathroom was silent for several long moments. Patricia set down her hairbrush and pursed her lips, glaring at her reflection. Eddie, unsure what else to do, brought his toothbrush toward her.

"If you don't mind, I'll just…take some of that back."

Rubbing the bristles against her cheek, Eddie cleaned up the mess, leaving only a tiny, sticky smear behind.

"Maybe you should let me help you," Patricia suggested, the smile on her face telling Eddie that allowing her to help was the last thing he should do.

"I think I'll be okay," he argued, waving off her concern. "I've been brushing my teeth on my own for a few years now. I really don't think-,"

"Eddie." She held her palm out expectantly. "Give me the toothbrush."

This time, he did as he was told.

Patricia leaned around her boyfriend, grabbing his Aquafresh toothpaste again. She squeezed too much of it onto the brush – there was enough for at least four cleanings – and then proceeded to bring it closer to his face. Eddie didn't even bothering opening his mouth; he knew none of it would end up there, anyway.

Sure enough, Patricia wiped the toothpaste all over Eddie's head, using the brush to make sure she covered every inch. His eyes, nose, and lips were buried beneath the minty-smelling paste by the time she finally stopped.

"That should do it," she said, exchanging her boyfriend's toothbrush for a towel. "Now we're even."

"Even?" Eddie echoed in disbelief. "I got one little spot on you, Yacker, and it was an accident. What you did was no accident!"

"Actually," Patricia countered, wetting down her towel before bringing it to her cheek, cleaning off what Eddie hadn't, "This wasn't just about the toothpaste. If I remember correctly, you were kind enough to wake me up this morning by pouring an entire bucket of water on me. Like I said…Now we're even."

Eddie couldn't let Patricia get the last laugh. He had to think of something he could do, something that would make her pay for the toothpaste that was currently burning his skin…

He smirked as he came up with an amazing idea.

"You know what, Patricia?" he said, taking a huge step in her direction. "You're right: it wasn't very nice of me to wake you up so ruefully. I hope you can find room in your heart to forgive me."

"What are you doing?" Patricia asked as Eddie tried wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm apologizing for what I did," he responded, trapping his girlfriend in his embrace. "Come on, Yacker. Let's kiss and make up!"

"I am not kissing you as long as you have that gunk all over your face!"

"Why not? It's just a little toothpaste."

"Let go of me, Weasel!"

Despite her warnings, Patricia was laughing as she struggled against Eddie, trying to break free from the circle his arms had cornered her in. She turned her head quickly every time his lips came anywhere near hers, refusing to give in so easily. The battle continued until Eddie's limbs suddenly fell limp.

"What's wrong?" Patricia demanded, sobering up at once.

"It's her," Eddie replied, his voice full of worry. "She's here, and she needs me."

"Who's here?" Patricia asked, more confused than she'd been before asking him any questions.

Without answering her, Eddie fled the bathroom. Patricia followed at his heels as he ran through the suite, only stopping after reaching the front door. Eddie threw it open-

-And Nina Martin, her eyes red as though she'd been crying, fell into his arms.

* * *

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Nina confessed nearly half an hour later, once Eddie had calmed her down enough to end the constant stream of tears. "I guess I'm just so relieved that you're here, safe and sound. I thought you were a goner for sure!"

"Hey, I'm _your _Osirion, remember?" Eddie pointed out. "I'm supposed to be the one worrying about you, not the other way around."

"I know, I know," Nina laughed. "It's just, after I had that vision today…I don't know. Something told me I needed to find you before it was too late."

Patricia chewed her cereal extra noisily, reminding the two Americans that she was still in the room. She knew about the bond the two of them had and that there was nothing she could do about it, but that didn't mean she had to like it either. Other than heading to the bathroom long enough to clean the toothpaste from his face, Eddie hadn't left Nina's side since she had arrived.

Nina glanced up as Patricia crunched away – she and Eddie were seated on the couch while the redhead was at the nearby table – but Eddie pressed on, ignoring his girlfriend.

"What happened in your vision?" he wanted to know. "I know it had something to do with me, but what was I doing?"

"Were you two dating in this vision of yours, Nina?" Patricia added. "See, I thought you and Eddie weren't allowed to be together. You know, what with the whole 'Osirion' and 'Chosen One' thing going on, terrible things would happen and that's why you couldn't come back to Anubis last year?"

"As you can see," Eddie chuckled, "Yacker is still just as subtle as ever."

"I hadn't noticed," Nina lied, giving Patricia her full attention. "You could come over here and sit with us if you wanted to be part of the conversation, Patricia. It's not like Eddie and I are keeping secrets from you."

"No, thank you," she declined, smiling sweetly. "I'd rather eat my cereal in peace if you don't mind."

To prove her point, Patricia shoved another spoonful into her mouth, crunching away.

"So," Eddie said, bringing everyone back to the topic at hand. "The vision?"

"I can't tell you exactly what I saw because I didn't recognize hardly anything," Nina admitted, giving Eddie an apologetic look. "I'm sure I saw you though, and I-,"

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Patricia cooed, interrupting the story. "You're the boy from Nina's dreams, Eddie! Doesn't that remind you of anything?"

"She's referring to KT," Eddie explained when Nina flashed him a blank expression. "KT was the new girl at Anubis and I had a vision about her before actually meeting her. It's a long story, and it doesn't tie in at all with what you're talking about, so I'm not sure why it was brought up."

"It ties in," Patricia muttered, more for her own ears than anyone else's.

"Okay…Anyway, you were walking around this area I've never seen before," Nina continued. "I couldn't tell if it was a forest or some kind of creepy tunnel. All I know is that it was dark and you were alone. Well, I was there, of course, but you couldn't see or hear me. I kept shouting your name, trying to get your attention, but you walked along, none the wiser to my pleas. I tried running to catch up with you, and even though you were only walking, I think something must've been holding me back because I couldn't keep up. You just kept right on going until this…this…creature jumped out from behind you."

Patricia set down her spoon, enthralled with Nina's tale. "What kind of creature?"

"That's where things started to get really fuzzy," Nina shrugged, unable to give a better answer. "It was tall though, taller than most animals I can think of, unless it was a bear or something standing on its hind legs."

"Who cares what kind of animal it was?" Eddie shouted, looking back and forth between the two girls like they were crazy. "I think the more important question here is what happened after I was attacked!"

"Well, see, that's the best thing about my vision," Nina assured him. "It ended before I found out what your fate was!"

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, it's not working."

Forgetting about her food, Patricia joined her friends on the other side of the room, plopping down on the couch's armrest.

"He has a point, Nina," she said as her boyfriend nodded fervently. "Did you see anything else? It seems kind of weird that you tracked us down just because you saw Eddie get attacked – Wait a second. How did you track us down in the first place?"

"It wasn't easy," Nina replied. "I tried calling Eddie right after I had the vision, but he wouldn't answer his phone."

"You were the one who called me seven times?" Eddie asked, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. "I don't understand…How come your name didn't pop up?"

"Here," Nina offered, motioning for him to hand it over. "Maybe I can figure out what the problem is."

Eddie gave her the phone. After pushing a few buttons, she offered it back.

"That one was my fault," she apologized. "I forgot to let you know I was changing my number. Fabian – I mean, people from Anubis – kept trying to contact me. Anyway, when Eddie ignored my calls today, his mom told me that you guys were Cedar Point."

Patricia slapped Eddie's shoulder. "You gave her your mum's number?"

"Yes, Yacker. I thought maybe Nina and my mom would become BFFs." Eddie shook his head. "No, I didn't give her my mom's number…Did I?"

"No, you didn't, although that would've made my job a lot easier. I had to look 'Miller' up in the phonebook and call all of the numbers listed until I finally found the one I was looking for." Nina shot Eddie a withering look. "Next time, just answer your phone. You'll save both of us a lot of time."

Patricia zoned out after that, not really caring about the bantering taking place between her boyfriend and Nina. It was one thing to listen in when they were discussing something important, such as Nina's vision, but when the conversation lulled into other subjects, her interest was gone.

While Eddie and Nina were laughing at a joke she hadn't heard, Patricia headed to the balcony. Glancing over her shoulder – neither of her friends seemed to notice her disappearance – she pushed open the door, shivering as the chilly nighttime air rushed toward her.

Patricia had to admit: the sight before her was stunning. Even though it was late, probably well past midnight by now, the lights shining from Cedar Point allowed her to see the lake several feet below. A few people were hanging out near the water, a group of teens if their whooping and hollering were any indication of their age. Rubbing her shoulders to protect them from the breeze, Patricia turned her attention skyward.

What if Nina's vision wasn't about a strange creature at all? What if, instead of an animal jumping out at Eddie, it had been an alien? It was hard to believe that with all those stars in the sky and all the other planets in the galaxy that Earth was the only one with living beings. Maybe Alfie had been right all along and aliens were more than just mythical creatures. Patricia had never believed in men being able to live for hundreds of years or elixirs either, but after spending so much time at Anubis, she knew the truth now. Who was she to pass judgment on aliens?

Inside the suite, Eddie had his eyes locked on something over Nina's shoulder. She turned around, smiling when she figured it out.

"So, you and Patricia." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I'm guessing you're back together?"

"Your guess would be correct," Eddie confirmed. "It took a lot of work – you wouldn't believe me even if I told you everything that happened last term – but I have a good feeling about this. I don't see another break-up coming anytime soon."

"I'm glad to hear it! You and Patricia have always been so…perfect…for each other. If you call two people who love causing trouble perfect, I mean."

Eddie noticed it right away: the way Nina refused to meet his eyes, how she suddenly began twisting her hands together.

"Fabian never gave up on you," he said softly. Nina froze at the sound of his name. "The only reason he agreed to re-join Sibuna was because of you. By the time summer came around, he still wasn't ready to move on."

"That's – that's not good," Nina decided, her heart wanting to shout exactly the opposite. "I wanted him to forget about me. That's why I wrote him that letter."

"Yeah, well…Your letter didn't work the way you intended it to."

She had to leave. Just hearing his name again after so many months hurt more than she'd thought it would. Besides, it was getting late. Eddie and Patricia were probably waiting for her to leave so they could get some rest.

"I should go," she said, climbing to her feet swiftly. "Um, thanks for letting me impose on you guys tonight. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You know how real those visions can feel sometimes, and I just…"

"You don't have to apologize," Eddie cut her off. "You don't even have to leave if you don't want to. Patricia and I are hitting Cedar Point again tomorrow and you're more than welcome to tag along. You could spend the night here – you and Yacker can take the bedroom, I'll be more than happy with the couch-,"

"That's very kind of you, Eddie, but I was actually planning on going to the park tomorrow, too. I'm staying at a hotel not far from here." She glanced around the suite, taking in how huge it was. "A hotel that's not nearly as nice as this one, but still. You've done enough for me tonight. I don't want to over-stay my welcome."

Eddie considered telling her that spending the night wouldn't be over-staying her welcome, but then he remembered Patricia and how jealous she could get over the smallest things. Yeah…maybe Nina had a point.

"We'll see you tomorrow then," he compromised. "Call me if you can't find us. I'll make sure I answer this time."

"I'm holding you to that promise," Nina threatened, pointing an accusing finger at him.

The two shared a laugh before hugging goodbye. Then, once Nina was finally gone, Eddie joined his girlfriend on the balcony.

"It's freezing out here, Yacker!" he complained, regretting his decision to go outside. "Aren't you cold?"

"No," Patricia replied before changing her mind. "Maybe a little bit."

"I think I know the perfect way to warm you up."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her shoulder. When she opened her mouth to either tell him to get lost or thank him for his brilliant idea, Eddie found a way to shut her up:

To put it simply, he finally got the kiss he'd been begging for since the toothpaste war.

"Eddie?" Patricia inquired, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "Do you think you could tell me what happened during our last sleepover?"

That was one question he hadn't been expecting.

"I know I wasn't really me, but I was me enough that you thought it was really me," she went on. "I feel like it's a memory we should both have, not just one of us."

Eddie wasn't sure how to answer that. He didn't like thinking about the time his girlfriend spent as a sinner any more than she did. Was it really a good idea to spend their first night sleeping in the same room together discussing something so…morbid?

"You know, I don't count that as our first sleepover," he said. "Even if you hadn't been a sinner, KT was in the room, so it wasn't like we were really alone. I think we should both forget about that night and make tonight special instead."

There was an excited gleam in Patricia's eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Eddie told her, slowly backing them off the balcony and toward the suite. "So, what do you want to do in order to make our first slumber-party memorable?"

Her lips connecting with his was a good enough answer for both of them.

* * *

**Author's Note: **We're digging a little deeper into the mystery, guys!

1. Do you agree with Mr. Sweet? Is it weird that Merlin invited Eddie to Cedar Point after Patricia was already in America?

2. What's up with that vision Nina had?

3. Are Eddie and Patricia EVER going to make it through their summer reading lists?!

Please review!


	5. Three Little Pigs

**Author's Note: **I know, I know. I am a horrible person! It's been over a week since I've updated! I wish I could tell you I had a good reason to not update, but...I don't. I mean, I have plenty of excuses, but are any of them REASONS? Yeah, not really. So I think I'll spend my time saying sorry instead. SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATE!

On a brighter note, thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! I LOVE reading them; they seriously brighten up my day! (Especially when they answer my questions/include guesses about what is going on with the mystery/or are just super long!) I love hearing from all of you more than you can imagine! If you're one of my faithful reviewers, thank you soooooooooooooooooooooo much! If you're not...Well, how about becoming one? *wink wink*

Um...I can't really think of anything else to say, so...See you at the end of the update!

**Disclaimer: HOA does not belong to me, nor do any of the characters. Sycon belongs to me, but you haven't met him yet (although you'll get to soon!). Cedar Point also does not belong to me. The story Patty's about to tell kind of belongs to me since it doesn't follow the story you know and love... Wow...I never realized how depressing these disclaimers are. I just don't own anything, do I?**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Three Little Pigs

There was one huge problem concerning the suite Eddie and Patricia were staying in: Patricia Williamson had never spent the night with a boy before.

A million different questions ran through her mind as she stood in the middle of the bedroom, uncertain what her next move should be. She had two, maybe three, minutes left before Eddie would return with his midnight snack. Where should she be seated upon his return? Would he expect her to still be awake and ready to talk? Was she already supposed to be asleep? Should she turn the light off?

In the kitchen, a carefree Eddie whistled away, having no idea about the turmoil his girlfriend was going through. Patricia, knowing she would look like a total idiot if she was standing around when he came back, decided it was time to move.

"Why didn't I ever listen to any of that 'boy talk' Joy always wanted to have?" she muttered under her breath. "I bet she would know what to do if Jerome asked her to spend the night with him!"

She sat on the edge of the nearest bed, crossing her legs in what she hoped could be defined as a sexy manner. It didn't take her long to change to the other bed. She wanted to be closer to the bathroom, just in case she needed to use it in the middle of the night. All she needed was to wake Eddie up at two o'clock in the morning when she tripped over him on her way to the restroom.

While Eddie continued whistling, Patricia tried every pose she could think of. She sat on top of the mattress. She rolled back the blankets and crawled beneath them. The light changed from on to off, and off to on, and then back again. She was still fretting over the details when Eddie appeared in the doorway.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he overheard her saying, throwing a pillow from one bed to the other. "Everything needs to be perfect!"

"Why does everything need to be perfect?"

Patricia jumped at least a foot in the air at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. By the time she turned to face him, she'd managed to compose her surprised expression into a weary smile. It wasn't hard for Eddie to notice that something wasn't quite right.

"Perfect? Who said anything about perfect?" she scoffed. "There were just…too many pillows on my bed, that's all. I can't sleep when there are too many pillows."

"Right…"

To anyone who wasn't named Patricia, the scene was probably fairly funny. Two teenagers standing in a room, one of them running around like a chicken with no head while the other watched. One bed was unmade and messy while the other had an extra pillow lying on the covers. In reality, everything looked worse now than it had when Patricia first started trying to fix things.

"Yeah…I'm really tired," she lied, adding a yawn for effect. "I should probably get some sleep. Goodnight!"

"Not so fast!" Eddie protested before his girlfriend could crawl back into the unmade bed. "What's the hurry, Yacker? Do you have a curfew or something?"

"No! I just thought you'd want to-,"

"Go to bed?" Eddie finished her sentence. "And what did you think I was going to do with this plate full of pancakes? Leave them sitting on the bedside table until morning?"

To be honest, she hadn't even noticed his pancakes until he mentioned them. He'd stacked them higher than usual – at least ten or twelve pancakes tall – and what midnight snack would be complete without maple syrup and whipped cream?

"So," he said, plopping down beside the misplaced pillow. "Tell me a bedtime story!"

"Excuse me?"

There was a break before Eddie responded – he was too busy shoveling food into his huge mouth – and Patricia spent that time wondering why he was sitting so far away. Yes, on the one hand, she had wanted him to keep his distance, but now that he was actually doing it, she wondered why he didn't want to sit with her. Did he find her that repulsive?

"I want you to tell me a bedtime story," he clarified. "My mom always used to give me a glass of warm milk and a few chocolate chip cookies before reading me a story. I have my snack; now all I need is the story!"

Patricia shook her head. "I am not doing that."

"Please?" Eddie begged, sticking out his bottom lip.

"No."

"I'll share my pancakes with you!"

To prove he meant business, he cut off a huge slab of pancake, dousing it in syrup. He held the fork up in her general direction, waving it around like he was hoping the wonderful aroma would keep her from saying no.

Even though she wasn't interested in the fattening treat, Patricia did care about the space separating her from Eddie. He was giving her the perfect excuse to remedy the problem.

"Fine," she relented, crossing from one side of the room to the other, joining Eddie on his bed. "Which story do you want to hear?"

"Food first, story second," Eddie ordered, his fork coming dangerously close to her mouth.

Patricia was going to tell her boyfriend it was fine, she didn't want any of his food, but he took advantage of her open lips. He forced the fork between them. She could feel her stomach churning almost immediately.

"Eddie!" she cried as soon as she could speak (it took her a little while to chew the enormous piece). "That was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted!"

"It was just a pancake."

"It was not _just a pancake_. All I could taste was the syrup!"

Eddie gave her a puzzled look. "And your point is…?"

Starting a food fight would be too easy. Patricia would shove one of the pancakes in Eddie's mouth just as he had done to her and he would retaliate by smearing whipped cream all over her face. Soon, the entire bed would be covered in a gooey mess, leaving them with only one other mattress. She wanted to be close to Eddie, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for that big of a step yet.

Instead of following her instincts, Patricia sat up straighter, reaching for the pillow. She held it to her chest, keeping her hands from doing what they really wanted to do. It didn't help that her boyfriend was smirking at her the entire time, almost as though he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"Once upon a time," she began, deciding it was the opportune moment to change topics, "There were three little pigs."

"Yes!" Eddie cried out happily. "I _love_ this one!"

"These three little pigs were troublemakers," Patricia continued, ignoring her excited boyfriend. "They didn't stay inside and play nice, quiet games with each other like all the other pigs in the town did. Oh, no. These three pigs spent their time solving life-threatening mysteries."

For the first time in his life, Eddie laid down his fork before the food was gone.

"Are you sure you're telling the right story?" he asked. "It sounds a little different than the version I know…"

"That's because you've only heard the American version. It's different than the one told in the UK," Patricia explained. "Anyway, these three pigs caused so much trouble that their mum decided to kick them out of the house. She didn't want to deal with their crazy antics. She was getting old and liked the house to be completely silent by ten o'clock every night. She was never satisfied unless she was able to hear a pin drop."

Eddie knew Patricia was lying. The UK didn't have a different version of The Three Little Pigs, or at least if they did, he was pretty sure it didn't include a female Victor. He remembered what Piper had told him – that Patricia had never taken the time to learn any nursery rhymes – and he wondered if the same thing was true for fairy tales.

"After the three pigs parted ways from their mum," Patricia pressed on, "They didn't know what to do next. They'd never been on their own before. Since they were pigs and everyone knows that pigs live in houses, they decided to build three of them right next door to each other.

"The first little pig – let's call him Alfie – thought he would build his house out of tin foil. He was scared to death of aliens and knew that tin foil was the only thing capable of saving his life if the aliens attacked. The second pig – maybe we should call him Fabian – built his house of some material no one knew how to pronounce. It was something he'd read about, because everyone knew that that little pig spent way too much time at the library. The final pig though, the one referred to as Eddie, built his house out of pancakes. That way, whenever he got hungry, he could take a bite and not worry about having to bake anything!"

"Actually, they built their houses out of sticks, hay, and bricks," Eddie pointed out. "And give me some credit here, Yacker! Even as a pig, I'd know better than to build a house out of pancakes."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Patricia apologized, placing a hand over her heart in mock sincerity. "I was under the impression that you wanted me to tell the story, but if you think you can do a better job…"

Eddie closed his mouth, locking his lips together with an invisible key.

"As I was saying, the three pigs were happy for a long time. They visited each other often and even managed to find girlfriends. The mysteries never died down – the girlfriends added to the creepy stuff going on instead of taking away from it – and the six of them formed their own secret mystery-solving club. They tackled everything from tunnels beneath their houses to zombies. One thing they thought they'd never have to face was aliens."

"Aliens?" Eddie repeated. "Unless Sibuna worked on that before I became a member, I don't remember dealing with them before."

"Well, you haven't heard the whole story yet," Patricia stated. "See, Eddie's girlfriend – let's call her Trixie for now – was shopping at the mall when this weird guy – pig, I mean – told her that aliens were real. She didn't want to believe him, but he warned her that now that she knew the truth, the aliens would find her. Fabian's girlfriend – or ex-girlfriend at this point – told Eddie about a vision she saw where he was attacked by something, and Trixie started to worry that maybe the pig at the store was right."

Patricia fiddled with the pillow, making sure her eyes stayed focused on the green material rather than Eddie's face.

"Let me guess," Eddie commented dryly. "Trixie didn't tell Eddie the truth right away, did she?"

"No, she didn't," Patricia admitted softly, clinging to the pillow tighter than ever. "She knew everything Eddie had already gone through with the other mysteries and she felt he deserved a little reprieve from the drama. Plus, she didn't want to worry him over nothing. She didn't want him to be in the dark about everything either though, so…"

"So she decided to finally come clean after keeping everything bottled up for a few days," Eddie finished her thought.

"Exactly! But don't worry; there's still a happy ending! Eddie understood where Trixie was coming from and he forgave her, the aliens were never a problem because they don't exist, and all the pigs lived happily ever after!"

Her story finished, Patricia sprang from the bed. She wasn't fast enough; Eddie grabbed her wrist, preventing her from going very far.

"Patricia," he said, causing her to cringe. It usually wasn't a good sign when he used her real name. "You don't have to be afraid to tell me stuff, okay? I don't care if it is summer vacation. Mysteries don't only pop up when we're at Anubis. They can happen anywhere, anytime. But I can't read your mind. You can't expect me to know when something's going on if you don't tell me about it. No secrets, remember?"

"No secrets," Patricia echoed.

"As for the aliens…" Eddie shrugged. "I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"But the guy at the store-,"

"Are you talking about that place at the end of the mall, Alluring Aliens or something like that?" He waited for his girlfriend's confirming nod. "Look, I know the guy working there seems really strange, but he's harmless. He tries to convince every costumer he sees that aliens are real."

Maybe Patricia should've dropped the subject, but she wasn't willing to give up so easily. Something weird was going on and she was determined to get to the bottom of it!

"How about the feeling I got when I shook Merlin's hand?" she demanded. "There's something wrong about him whether you're willing to admit it or not!"

"What? You think Merlin's some kind of alien?" Eddie reached out, rubbing her shoulder soothingly. "Come on, Yacker. He's my best friend. I'm pretty sure he would've told me by now if he wasn't from this planet."

"What about Nina's vision? Are you really going to sit there and tell me nothing was weird about that?"

"It was a little weird," Eddie consented, "But just because she couldn't make out the creature that attacked me doesn't mean it was an alien."

She had nothing left to fight with. Eddie was shooting down her ideas as fast as she could come up with them. Obviously, he wasn't falling for her 'aliens are real' theory.

Setting down his now empty plate, Eddie pulled Patricia into his arms instead, kissing the top of her head.

"I think you're just on edge because of everything you've been through at Anubis," he said, hugging her to his chest. "Besides, we've both been awake for almost twenty-four hours. I'm sure everything will make more sense after we get a good night's sleep."

"Maybe you're right," Patricia agreed. "I am getting awfully tired…"

The couple bid each other goodnight, sharing one final kiss before Patricia headed to the other bed ("Yuck. Your breath smells like syrup!"). Eddie waited until he was sure his girlfriend was ready – meaning she told him it was alright to do so – before turning off the light.

Five minutes later, Eddie and Patricia were asleep.

* * *

_"Come with me," Patricia ordered, flashing her boyfriend a radiant smile. "I have something I want to show you."_

_ She stood in the doorway with her hand extended in Eddie's direction, waiting for him to grab on. He did, easily twining his fingers in hers._

_ "Where do you plan on taking me, Yacker?" he inquired as the redhead stepped outside, leading him along behind her. "You're not sneaking me into another creepy tunnel so I can help solve some crazy mystery again, are you?"_

_ "Shut up, Weasel," she responded with a gentle laugh. "You'll ruin the surprise!"_

_ At first, it was hard for Eddie to figure out exactly where he was. The sun shined brightly above his head, nearly leaving him blind. It didn't seem to faze Patricia though; she continued on at her normal pace, giving her boyfriend's hand a reassuring squeeze every now and then._

_ It wasn't long before Eddie was able to recognize a few of the landmarks around him. From the looks of it, Patricia was taking him back inside Cedar Point._

"_If this is your way of telling me you bought me my own amusement park," he chirped in excitement, "Then you really are the most amazing girlfriend!"_

_He wasn't even sure Patricia heard him. She had finally stopped walking, although Eddie had no idea why. They were still at the front of the park, where there were only a few shops and restaurants and no rides. Their fingers stayed intertwined, but Patricia seemed to be searching the faces walking around them like she was waiting for someone._

"_Look what the cat dragged in!"_

_Merlin Alkine was approaching the couple, his arm raised in greeting. Eddie dropped Patricia's hand so he could fist-bump his best friend._

"_What happened yesterday?" he asked. "I thought you were going to let me know when you were on your break so we could hang out!"_

"_Oh, that." Merlin exchanged looks with Patricia. "Um, something came up."_

"_Eddie," Patricia spoke up before her boyfriend could say another word. "I need you to close your eyes."_

"_Close my eyes?" Eddie repeated. "Are you sure you're not leading me down some sort of tunnel?"_

_He regretted his question immediately. Patricia's face clouded over with sorrow. "I thought you trusted me."_

"_I do trust you!" To prove his point, he held out his hand and shut his eyes. "See? I'm all yours, Yacker."_

"_You're going to love the surprise, Eddie," Merlin exclaimed, his voice never fading as Patricia began walking again. _

"_You know where she's taking me?" _

_Eddie tried to hide his jealousy. How come Merlin, a guy Patricia had met less than twenty-four hours ago, already knew about this so-called 'surprise'?_

"_I needed his help to plan everything," Patricia explained. "He works here, so I thought maybe he could give me some inside information."_

_Eddie didn't like not being able to see. He knew he should trust Patricia – neither she nor Merlin had ever done anything to prove themselves untrustworthy – but at the same time, their sudden allegiance to each other didn't make sense. He wanted to know what the two of them were up to._

"_We're almost there," Patricia promised as Eddie heard the squeaky hinges of a door being opened. "Just a few more minutes…"_

_It wasn't until after Eddie stepped through the door that his head started to pound. He could hear a voice crying out his name._

'_Osirion! It's a trap. You need to run!'_

_He turned around, heeding the voice's advice. _

"_Stop him!" Patricia bellowed._

_Now that his eyes were open, Eddie could see the door that would let him out of the dark building. He ran for it, praying he could reach it before it was too late. Merlin popped out of nowhere, blocking his only escape route._

"_Leaving so soon?" he mocked. "But you haven't even seen your surprise yet!"_

_He was stronger than he looked. Placing one hand on either of Eddie's shoulders, he pushed him backward. Eddie stumbled until he finally fell, landing in some sort of metal chair. Merlin was at his side in seconds, tying him to the object._

"_That should hold him," the Cedar Point employee said, brushing off his hands as he took his place beside Patricia, who was watching the scene unfold with a smile. "I think it's safe to proceed now."_

"_You won't get away with this!" Eddie threatened, struggling against the rope. Instead of loosening, it dug deeper into his skin. "I'll – I'll tell park security about this and make sure you get fired!"_

"_What, exactly, do you plan on telling people?" Merlin scoffed. "You have no idea where you are right now, Eddie. If you tried getting me fired, you wouldn't have a clue where to send the cops."_

_Merlin was right. Even if Eddie did manage to escape, by the time he found someone who would be able to help him, Patricia and Merlin would have plenty of time to escape. Unless he could reach his phone and call for help now, he was out of luck. Unfortunately, with the rope tied around him, there was no possible way for him to get to his phone, which was resting in his back pocket. _

"_Stop struggling," Patricia stated firmly. "It won't do you any good."_

"_Why are you doing this to me?" he demanded, his eyes only on his girlfriend. "I thought we were on the same team!"_

"_The same team?" She paused, staring at Eddie as though he was speaking a foreign language. "You have the Chosen One on your team; there's no room for me."_

"_That's not true! Nina is-,"_

"_Nothing more than a friend, right?" Patricia finished his sentence. "Come on, Eddie. How stupid do you think I am? You're Nina's protector. I'm just the girl you thought you fell in love with before you knew who you really are. We're obviously not supposed to be together."_

"_Don't feel bad, buddy," Merlin said. "Sure, your girlfriend is leaving you, but in five minutes, you won't remember any of this anyway."_

"_That's right," Patricia confirmed, sending his friend a patronizing smile. "See, we didn't bring you here just to tie you up; we want to introduce you to someone as well!"_

_His head was pounding again. Eddie grit his teeth together, doing his best not to succumb to the pain. Something bad was about to happen. He could feel it coming but couldn't do anything about it. The stupid rope wouldn't budge no matter how much he squirmed._

'_You need to get out,' the voice in his head shouted. 'You're not safe, Osirion.'_

_There was nothing he could do as a blue, slimy hand covered his mouth._

* * *

"Eddie." Patricia shook his shoulder earnestly. "Eddie!"

Only an hour had gone by since they'd gone to bed, but already Patricia was awake again. Not because she wanted to be awake, mind you. No, it was Eddie's shouting that woke her from what had been a very peaceful slumber.

Finally, her shaking worked: Eddie's eyes flew open and he blinked in surprise, allowing his pupils to adjust to the sudden light. He was breathing heavily as he focused on his girlfriend's head, which he realized was hovering above his own.

"What do you want now, Yacker?" he moaned, running his hand through his messed up hair. "Can't you last six or seven hours without looking at my amazing face?"

"Haha," she replied, although from the sounds of it, she wasn't really laughing. "You're the one who woke _me _up, Doofus. Aren't you a little old to be having nightmares?"

Eddie froze. He'd been having a nightmare?

"You were screaming," Patricia went on to explain. "I couldn't make out everything you were saying. Something about Cedar Point and Merlin and…That's pretty much it, I think."

Cedar Point…Eddie remembered now: how nightmare-Patricia had told him she had a surprise. How she and nightmare-Merlin brought him to a dark building, where they proceeded to tie him to a chair and told him they wanted to introduce him to someone. The blue hand that came out of nowhere…

"Eddie," Patricia said, her tone gentler this time. "Are you alright?"

Was he alright? Did the dream mean something or was his mind playing tricks on him? He had been awake for a long time; maybe the dream was just an after-effect from their discussion about aliens just before turning off the light.

Either way, whether the dream was supposed to teach him something or not, Eddie had a few questions.

"Patricia," he called, reaching for her hand. "You know that there's nothing going on between me and Nina, right?"

"You mean other than the whole you being her Osirion thing?"

"Yeah. Other than that."

Patricia nodded fervently. "I know."

"And you know that just because I'm her protector thanks to some crazy connection between us, that doesn't mean that I can't protect you at the same time."

Once again, Patricia nodded. "I never said you couldn't."

"So you don't plan on running off to find some guy who doesn't already have a 'Chosen One', do you?"

"What?"

Eddie was either going mental or Patricia was too tired to comprehend the conversation. She settled on the second option, deciding sleep was the only thing that could help her. She turned around, heading toward her bed-

"Wait!" Eddie refused to let go of her hand. "I don't want you to leave. What if I have another nightmare?"

"Try to keep from shouting this time, yeah?" Patricia suggested.

"I'm serious," he pouted, squeezing her fingers in an almost painful way. "I can't stop thinking about Nina's vision, and then you're going off yacking about aliens, and I just…I don't want to be alone."

"You're not alone," she reminded him, gesturing to the other side of the room. "I'll be two feet away, so if you need anything-,"

"Sleep with me!"

Sleep-deprived Eddie was apparently a needy Eddie. Patricia had never heard him say those three words before and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear them now.

"Please," Eddie pleaded, using her hand to pull her closer. "Just stay in my bed with me until I fall asleep. I don't have nightmares often, but when I do, they feel so real and I have a hard time calming down. It'll help if I know you're at my side."

She wanted to say no. Patricia had spent the night with two other guys in her entire lifetime – Alfie and Fabian – and that was only because they'd been working on Sibuna missions. Her first co-ed sleepover was one thing. Joining him in his bed was another.

As much as she wanted to say no, Patricia knew she couldn't let Eddie suffer. He did look scared and if his dreams were half as bad as the ones she'd been having since leaving her sinner-self behind, she felt sorry for him. She knew how it felt to wake up in the middle of the night lathered in your own sweat without anyone around to comfort you.

Slowly, uncertain if she was doing the right thing, Patricia walked to the other side of the bed. Eddie spread his arms wide, giving her room to fall into them. She did just that, lying down so her back was against his chest.

"Do you think you can make it through the rest of the night?" she mocked, cooing to Eddie in her baby-voice.

"Yep," Eddie confirmed, draping an arm around her waist. "As long as you're around, I can make it through anything."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Eddie's finally getting suspicious!

1. Eddie seems to think that: A. The guy Patricia met at the mall belongs in a mental hospital, B. There is nothing strange about Merlin Alkine, and C. Patricia is silly to believe in aliens. Do you think he's right?

2. What was up with that nightmare Eddie had? Why were Patricia and Merlin working together? Who did the blue hand belong to?

3. Sleep-deprived Eddie: Cute or annoying?

4. Will this silly author EVER write about Peddie's second day at Cedar Point?!

Please review! I want to know your opinions!


	6. A Storm Is Brewing

**Author's Note: **Hello again, my lovely readers! Look - a second update this week! Are you as excited as I am?!

I am so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Sometimes I wonder if I'm keeping Eddie and Patricia in-character. According to you, I am, so...I guess that's a good thing, isn't it? I'm so happy you guys reviewed even though there was a long break between chapters. Sorry about that; I'll try to keep it from happening again!

This chapter, although it does not feature Sycon quite yet, DOES move on to the second day at Cedar Point. Do you want to know what happens next? Well, go ahead and read it then!

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis, any of the characters from the show, or Sibuna. Nor do I own Cedar Point (although I did use to work at their sister park, Michigan's Adventure, which is owned by the same company).**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

A Storm Is Brewing

Eddie's phone was ringing.

"Not now, Piper," Patricia mumbled sleepily. "Five more minutes."

When 'Piper' didn't shut up, Patricia groaned. She didn't want to get up yet. Not only was it way too early, but for some reason, her bed felt extremely comfortable. The last thing she wanted to do was leave it.

It wasn't until after someone snored in her ear that Patricia remembered why her bed was so much warmer than usual: it wasn't her bed. She was sleeping with her boyfriend, sharing his mattress, his blankets, and his pillow.

"Slimeball," she muttered. "Someone's ringing you."

There was no response.

"Eddie?" Patricia tried again, shuffling around so she could see her boyfriend.

Sure enough, Eddie was sleeping through the phone call. His mouth was open as he snored away – a tiny puddle of drool was forming on the bed sheet – and Patricia instantly started brushing through her hair, searching for any wet strands.

"Fine," she sighed in defeat. "I'll just answer your phone then."

As it turned out, that plan wasn't going to work, either. Eddie's arm was still lying across her waist, preventing her from moving very far. An arm would be an easy enough problem to fix, but sometime during the night, his leg had flown over hers. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to move it.

"You need to wake up, Weasel!" Patricia ordered, slapping the blonde's chest. "Seriously, Eddie; I'm stuck!"

When the lifeless boy refused to budge, Patricia's eyes landed on the dirty plate that had held his pancakes the night before. Well, if he wasn't going to wake up the easy way…

It was a struggle for her to reach the plate, but after some wriggling around she was finally able to grab it. Thankfully, not all of the syrup had hardened overnight. She held it over his head, waiting patiently for the sticky substance to fall.

Eddie must've felt the syrup as it landed right under his ear. His hand idly reached to brush it away, probably thinking it was just a fly. His eyes flew open when he realized his mistake.

"Patricia!" he exclaimed, sending her a look that clearly said, 'What-do-you-think-you're-doing?'

"You might want to check your phone," she informed him, climbing out of the bed while she had the chance. "Oh, and don't forget to thank whoever it is for the wake-up call. I just love rude awakenings, don't you?"

"My phone?" Eddie repeated dumbly, obviously not fully awake yet.

"Yes, your phone. You remember what a phone is, don't you? Those devices people use to communicate with when they're too far away to just scream at each other?"

She tossed him his cell phone on her way to the bathroom. He caught it – apparently his reflexes were still working – and noticed that there were two missed calls, both from Merlin. A third one came in while he was staring at the screen. This time, he hit the answer key.

"Hey!" Merlin greeted happily. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No," Eddie answered, wiping some of the syrup from his skin. "I can honestly say that you are not the one who woke me up."

"Great! Listen, I wanted to apologize about yesterday. I was going to call you, but I operate one of the water rides and I ended up dropping my phone. You know how clumsy I can be!"

Of course Eddie knew about his friends' clumsiness. He'd only known Merlin for basically his entire life.

"Anyway, I couldn't shop for a new phone until this morning because all the stores were closed by the time I got off work last night," Merlin went on. "My boss told me to take as much time today as I needed to shop, so…"

"So?" Eddie asked, not understanding what his best friend was trying to tell him.

"I thought maybe you would like to spend some time together before I go back to work," Merlin clarified. "I could show you some of the cool places around Ohio. It could be just the two of us, Merlin and Eddie, together again after all this time!"

Eddie had to admit: he didn't hate the idea. Hanging out with Patricia was great and everything, but he missed having guy time.

"Well, maybe not just Merlin and Eddie," Merlin added as an afterthought. "Your girlfriend would be welcome to come along as well!"

"Actually," Eddie said, an idea coming to him as he heard the shower water begin running. "I think Patricia has other plans today."

* * *

"Let me get this straight: your boyfriend chose to hang out with his friends instead of you?"

Nina knew she was breeching a dangerous subject the moment the words left her mouth. Patricia folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently, almost as though she believed the sourer she acted, the faster Eddie would change his mind.

"He didn't even bother asking if it was okay," she explained, sounding more hurt than angry. "All he said was, 'Hey, I'm going out with Merlin for a few hours. I'll let you know when we're back at Cedar Point.' I mean, who does that? Who leaves their girlfriend – who's only visiting America for their sake in the first place – to spend time with some guy they can see any time they want to see him?"

"To be fair," Nina reminded her friend, "This might be Eddie's only opportunity to spend time with Merlin. He'll be here for the rest of the summer, and during the school year-,"

"-Eddie will be at Anubis, where there will be Sibuna meetings and annoying American girls around to keep him from noticing me instead," Patricia completed the other girl's sentence. "I don't care that he wanted to spend time with Merlin. No one said he had to spend twenty-four hours a day with me. I'm just…a little surprised that he left me here all by myself."

"He didn't leave you totally alone, Patricia," Nina pointed out. "I'm here!"

What Nina said was true. As pitiful as Patricia made the story out to be, Eddie hadn't been a complete jerk. Before leaving the hotel, he had called Nina to make sure she was still planning on hitting Cedar Point. He'd explained everything – how he was going out for a little while, but only if he was sure Patricia had someone to hang out with – and even after Nina promised to help Patricia find a way to waste her day, he still walked with her to the amusement park, where they waited together until Nina showed up.

Now, Eddie was long gone and the two girls were slowly making their way around the park, not walking anywhere in particular. They'd been too busy gossiping about Patricia's ignorant boyfriend to discuss what they wanted to do while he was away.

"You know what I think will help take your mind off the boyfriend-who-shall-not-be-named?" Nina asked, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Jumping on the tallest roller coaster here and pretending I'm pushing him off the highest hill?"

"As amazing as that sounds, I was thinking about something a little more…hands-on."

Patricia followed Nina's gaze as the American turned her attention toward the bumper cars.

"Excellent!" Patricia consented, rubbing her hands together gleefully. "I can pretend the other drivers are Eddie and ram into them as hard as I want to!"

As the two girls headed to the attraction, chattering animatedly about how much fun they were about to have, they almost didn't hear someone shouting their names. Nina stopped first, cocking her head to the side, trying to make out whether or not her name was really being called. Patricia, wondering what had caught her attention, turned around.

A girl wearing a designer pair of shoes, white shorts, and a flashy top was running toward them. She had long blonde hair that looked oddly familiar…

"I don't believe it!" Nina cried, her face breaking out in the biggest smile Patricia had ever seen. "Is it really her?"

"Is it really who?" Patricia demanded, squinting into the sun as she tried her best to make out the newbie. "Wait…Is that who I think it is?"

Sure enough, once the blonde was close enough to do so, she wrapped one arm around Nina and the other around Patricia, forcing them into a group hug.

"So," she said the moment she released them, placing her right hand over her eye. "Are we having a Sibuna meeting or what?"

Yep…Amber Millington was definitely back!

* * *

Eddie and Merlin ended up at the one place almost every guy loved to visit: the sporting goods store.

"This," Merlin stated, easily catching the basketball Eddie passed to him, "Is so much more fun than working!"

"You must be joking," Eddie said, pretending he was examining shin guards when one of the employees passed by, glaring at the two boys. Apparently, playing basketball through the aisles was frowned upon. "Working at Cedar Point has to be one of the greatest jobs ever invented!"

Merlin shrugged in response, setting the ball down in the bin Eddie had taken it from. The employee nodded his approval before walking away. As soon as he was gone, Merlin picked up a football.

"It's not everything it's cracked up to be," he confessed, tossing the football in Eddie's general direction. "For one thing, you're stuck at the park every day, rain or shine. You get two days off a week, but that's not enough time to make the six hour drive back home. There's no one to hang out with. So far, I've spent all my time off sitting around the employee lodging Cedar Point pays for, bored out of my mind."

The pass was a little off-balance; the football landed on the floor a few feet away from Eddie. He scooped it up quickly, not wanting the employee to come back.

"There are a lot of other people working at the park," he observed, tossing the football in the air causally as a father with two small children walked by, the son never taking his eyes away from Eddie. "Can't you befriend one of them?"

"If only it was that easy!" Merlin's hair fell into his eyes as grabbed a soccer ball, kicking it back and forth between his feet. "Most of the other employees have been working together for years. They already have their little groups. No one wants to adopt me."

A few rows down, the father stopped to check out the bike selection. His daughter, a pretty girl wearing her hair in pigtails, pointed excitedly to a pink one with a basket hanging on the handlebars. Her brother wasn't paying attention. He was still watching Eddie, an almost awe-struck expression on his face.

"Doesn't the money make up for the lack of friends?" Eddie wanted to know, exchanging his football for a soccer ball. "I can't imagine they're not paying you well."

"The money's great," Merlin agreed, bouncing his own soccer ball on his head. "I'm just not sure how much I like standing under the sun all day long. I can tell you one thing though: I'm going to have an amazing tan by the time the summer's over!"

The employee had made his way over to the new family, where he was giving them all the details about the pink bike. With his attention on something else, Merlin put his soccer ball away, motioning for Eddie to pass his.

"I guess I shouldn't complain," he said as he ran after the ball, which Eddie accidentally over-shot. "It's not like I'm working there for the whole summer anyway."

"You're not?"

"Nah, man! My sister's getting married in July, remember? I'm taking time off so I can make it to the wedding."

Actually, Eddie wasn't sure Merlin had ever told him about the wedding. He'd met his friend's sister before – a very sweet girl named Stephanie – and he knew she'd been dating the same guy for quite some time. However, no one had told him when they got engaged, much less that a wedding date was already chosen.

The little girl was strapping on a helmet while the employee got the bike off the rack. Oh, so riding around the store was okay but having a tiny little basketball game wasn't?

"You did know about the wedding, didn't you?" Merlin rolled his eyes. "I've been told that you need to come to the ceremony. Apparently, Steph can't stand the idea of getting married without the infamous Eddie Miller around to see it."

Eddie scoffed, stopping the soccer ball with his left foot as it rolled toward him. "Why is she so concerned about me? Seems like she would want me to stay away from her wedding, not attend as an invited guest."

Stephanie Alkine had suffered at the hand of many, many pranks throughout Merlin and Eddie's childhood. She was six years older than the boys and, since Eddie was an only child and Merlin was his best friend, Steph became an easy target. She spent the majority of her time trying to convince her brother that Eddie was a bad influence on him and he should break off the friendship before it was too late. Obviously, her advice was never taken seriously.

"I don't remember what her reasoning was," Merlin shrugged, checking out the baseball mitts when he caught the employee looking at him. "Something about you telling her she'd never find someone willing to marry a face as ugly as hers. I guess she wants to rub it in that she ended up finding someone after all."

"She remembers me saying that?" Eddie asked incredulously. "She must have a pretty good memory. Wasn't I, like, six when I said it?"

"Not according to Steph. She claims you were ten or eleven and you said it to her on the night of her junior prom, right after Derek Howard broke up with her."

Derek Howard had to be one of the biggest jerks Eddie had ever met. He was arrogant, conceited, and dumber than a box of rocks. Those things didn't matter to Stephanie though, or any other girl her age. All they cared about was how good he looked without a shirt on and the fact that he was the star of the football team.

Stephanie was more than a little excited when Derek asked her to go to the prom with him. She went on and on about needing to find the perfect dress and how this was just the first step in her plan to one day become Derek's wife. That declaration was what prompted Eddie to make his comment – the one about her never finding a guy willing to marry her – although he did feel bad after he said it. Derek ended up dumping her when she refused to leave their prom early and go to a hotel with him. For the next few weeks, Stephanie took Eddie's words to heart, proclaiming that she would never find love again.

"Speaking of marriages," Merlin intruded on Eddie's flashback, "How are things going with Patricia?"

Now that her helmet was firmly in place, the little girl was sitting on top of the bike. Her dad gave it a tiny push, just enough to get her started, and she took over from there. Finally tearing his gaze from Eddie, her brother watched as she rode away. He tugged on his father's sleeve, pointing to the other bikes.

"I don't know how my relationship with Patricia relates to your sister getting married," Eddie responded, jumping back just before his toes would've been run over by a pink bicycle, "But things are going pretty good."

"How does she like Cedar Point so far?"

Eddie didn't answer at first, concentrating on the soccer ball that had rolled away when he leapt out of the bike's path. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how much information he wanted to give out, even if Merlin was his best friend. After hearing Patricia's suspicions about him and having that dream, he wanted to be cautious. Until he could prove that the dream was harmless and it didn't mean anything, he owed it to his girlfriend to be careful.

"She seems to be enjoying herself," he said slowly, trading his soccer ball for a baseball. "We spent most of yesterday hitting the coasters. Unfortunately, we had to leave before the park closed; we were both really tired."

"That's understandable," Merlin nodded. "What hotel are you staying at?"

"Uh, I think it's called Hotel Breakers," Eddie replied, hoping he'd gotten the name close enough that Merlin wouldn't call him out on sounding like an idiot. "My mom got this amazing suite for us that has a kitchen and balcony and – Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why am I looking at you like what?"

"Like I just said something cool?"

The father pointed to a blue bike this time. His son threw his arms in the air happily, hugging the handlebars the moment the employee placed the product in front of him.

"Well, you mentioned that your mom got _a _suite for you and Patricia, which, if I'm correct, means she basically gave you permission to…"

He dropped off as two bikers zoomed around him, wiggling his eyebrows to ensure Eddie knew what he was implying.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Alkine," Eddie suggested, lightly hitting the baseball on his friend's head. "First of all, it's none of your business what does or doesn't happen in my hotel room. Second of all…Do I even need a second of all?"

"Wait a second." Merlin placed a hand on either of Eddie's shoulders, leaning down until they were eye-to-eye. "Oh my gosh…Nothing happened between the two of you, did it?"

Eddie sighed. Merlin had always been extremely good at reading between the lines when it came to this kind of thing. He should've known he wouldn't be able to get anything past him.

"It's not like something couldn't have happened," he said. "I mean, I would've been willing to go farther, but Patricia is…kind of hard to read sometimes. I'm-,"

"Her first boyfriend," Merlin finished, bringing a grimace to Eddie's face. "Yeah, that probably is weird for her, you know. What with you being her first kiss and everything when you've had so many girlfriends in the past-,"

"How did you know that I'm Patricia's first boyfriend?"

The brother and sister were chasing each other around the store, squealing whenever one of them was able to tag the other. Merlin focused on them instead of Eddie, allowing the question to hover around them, unanswered.

"You're losing it, buddy," he finally spoke up. "You've told me so many stories about your English girlfriend that you're forgetting which ones you've shared."

Other than his parents and close friends at Anubis, Eddie had never told anyone about Patricia's past romances, or lack thereof. It was her story to share, not his. He was almost one hundred percent sure he had never uttered a word about it to Merlin.

"We should probably head back soon," Merlin stated, stealing the baseball from Eddie's hands. "My boss is going to start wondering what's taking me so long to find a phone."

"That's a good idea," Eddie agreed, heading to the store's exit. "Thanks again for the free Cedar Point tickets! I'm so glad they came along while Patricia was here in America. Otherwise, I would've been stuck going to the park without anyone to keep me company."

"I know, right?" Merlin laughed, following behind his friend. "The timing was impeccable, don't you think?"

Eddie wasn't sure what to think as he stepped into the parking lot.

* * *

"Tell us everything," Amber ordered, resting her perfectly manicured nails on the tabletop. "What happened at our creepy boarding school last term?"

She, Nina, and Patricia were gathered around a deserted table in the back of the amusement park. No one was around – it was too early in the day for guests to have weary feet – so the girls felt safe sharing their Sibuna secrets. It wasn't like anyone would understand what they were talking about even if they did happen to overhear.

The only problem was, Patricia refused to talk. Yes, she knew what took place after Amber left for fashion school, but that didn't mean she wanted to relive it.

"Maybe we should drop it," Nina suggested, noticing Patricia's hesitation.

"Why would we do that?" Amber asked, not catching on. "I was there for the first half of the mystery; I want to know what happened once I left!"

"There's not a lot to tell," Patricia lied smoothly. "Some dead guy came back to life and tried to feed everyone's souls to a spirit named Ammut, but in the end, good triumphed over evil!"

It wasn't the whole story – it wasn't even half of the tale – but it was all Patricia wanted to share. If she went into detail, it would take hours to explain everything. Besides, she wasn't the right person to ask. She hadn't been a witness to very much of the mystery, after all.

"I don't believe you," Amber decided, "But I'm too happy about seeing you again to try getting the truth out. Tell me what you're doing in America!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Patricia gestured to the empty chair beside her. "I'm visiting Eddie!"

Amber threw her hands over her mouth as she squealed. She didn't do a very good job of muffling the noise; both Nina and Patricia covered their ears.

"I _knew_ he didn't like KT!" she proclaimed, only lowering her voice one octave below the squeal. "How did the two of you get back together? Please tell me he did something so huge and romantic-,"

"Hugely romantic?" a new voice repeated. "You ladies must be talking about me!"

Eddie plopped down in the vacant seat Patricia had pointed out moments ago, slipping his arm around his girlfriend. He nodded a greeting to Nina before noticing there was someone else at the table as well.

"Amber?" He looked at his girlfriend as though he wanted her to confirm he'd gotten the name right. "You're at Cedar Point, too?"

"Obviously," the blonde replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Daddy thought I did such a good job at fashion school that I deserved an award."

"I think you mean 'reward'," Nina corrected automatically, accustomed to Amber's slip-ups.

"No, I meant 'award'." She pulled a plaque from her purse, holding it in the air so everyone could see. "I just wish it was pink instead of brown. Daddy doesn't know how to accessorize."

Nina moved in closer, wanting to get a better look at the plaque. While their friends were busy, Patricia zeroed in on Eddie.

"Done with your little play-date already?" she sneered in a very impolite way.

"It wasn't a play-date," Eddie clarified, lowering his voice sustainably. "Listen. Part of the reason I left you behind was because I wanted to test your theory about whether or not something has been a little…weird…about Merlin lately."

"What?"

Patricia was surprised. Judging from the way Eddie had dismissed her ideas the night before – hadn't he said something about her just being on edge because of everything that happened at Anubis? – she'd thought he planned on blowing her off.

"I don't know why I didn't notice it before, but there's definitely something up with him," Eddie explained. "He knows all this stuff about you I've never told him and I have no idea how he figured it out. It's kind of unsettling to think about."

"Kind of unsettling? How do you think I feel now that I have some sort of creepy stalker?"

"Hey!" Amber complained, pointing at the whispering couple. "They're having a Sibuna meeting without us!"

"No, we're not," Patricia fibbed quickly – a little too quickly from Amber's point of view. "We're just talking about…"

"How awesome that plaque is!" Eddie jumped in, covering the awkward pause. "What did you have to design in order to win that thing? A new pair of…shoes…or something?"

Amber wasn't falling for it. She knew Eddie couldn't care less about footwear; the atrocious things covering his feet proved that.

"If there's something going on, I want to know about it," she said firmly. "I've been a Sibuna member way longer than any of you – except Nina, who started the club in the first place – so I deserve to know the truth."

"We're telling the truth-,"

Patricia stopped when Eddie squeezed her shoulder, his eyes locked on Amber's. "Maybe we should tell her."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Nina argued as Patricia asked Eddie, "Have you gone completely mental?"

"Think about it," Eddie defended his decision. "She might be able to help us. She used to date Alfie, remember? It's possible that she has some ideas as to what we may be dealing with here."

At the sound of Alfie's name, Amber sat up a little straighter. "Is he in trouble? He's not some kind of 'Chosen one' or 'Osirion' too, is he?"

"It's nothing like that," Eddie assured her. "We just know how obsessed he's always been with aliens and we were wondering if…"

He turned to Patricia, who was also known as the queen of blurting out weird questions.

"Did he ever share any alien stories with you?" she supplied, shaking her head at her boyfriend. He had a habit of being too nice sometimes. He needed to learn to be more like her, someone who was always ready to say whatever was on his mind.

"Aliens?" Nina glared at the couple. "How come neither of you said anything about aliens last night when I told you about my vision?"

"You had a vision?" Amber gasped.

"Some of us didn't know what was really going on," Eddie replied, sending a pointed look in his girlfriend's direction.

"Can you blame me for not telling you sooner?" Patricia shot back. "It's not my fault you have nightmares every time something scary happens!"

Above them, the sun, which had been shining brightly all day, suddenly hid behind a gray cloud. Nina wrinkled her brow as she stared at the sky. Huh…Where had all the stormy-looking clouds come from?

"You love when I have nightmares," Eddie said, either not noticing the weather or choosing to ignore it.

"Yes, Eddie," Patricia agreed mockingly. "I love it when you wake me up in the middle of the night with your girly screams."

"Guys," Nina tried interrupting, patting Patricia's thigh.

"That's not what I'm referring to," Eddie kept going, refusing to let his girlfriend win this round.

"Then what _were_ you referring to?"

Amber, who had gotten bored of the fighting and chosen to study her reflection instead, glanced skyward when she noticed how dark it was getting. A breeze had begun blowing as well, whipping her blonde hair in every direction.

"If you can't figure it out," Eddie was saying, "Then I'm not going to tell you."

"Fine!" Patricia pushed his arm away so she could climb to her feet. "I never really wanted you to tell me anyway."

"Why can't you ever lower your force-shield?" Eddie demanded, following her example by standing up. "Why can't you just admit that you loved it when I invited you to sleep-?"

His question was cut off by a loud clap of thunder.

As though they were just noticing the weather, Eddie and Patricia looked up, their jaws dropping in surprise. Hadn't it been sunny two minutes ago?

"Come on!" Nina shouted as it started to downpour. "We have to get out of here!"

No one needed to be told twice. The four teens took off running, Amber balancing her purse on her head in an effort to keep her make-up from smearing ("Do you have any idea how much it costs to have a face as amazing as mine?"). Eddie and Nina stayed at the back of the group – their leader instincts warned them to look out for the others – and as they ran, they caught each other's eyes.

'The bad thing that's supposed to happen when we're together?' he mouthed, not wanting to say it out loud when everyone was already in panic-mode. He didn't need a vocal answer; the fear etched into Nina's face was good enough.

The four Anubis students weren't the only people trying to find shelter. It seemed like everyone was fleeing, flocking into stores or restrooms just to have a ceiling over their heads. Parents with smaller children placed the kids in their arms so they could move faster, protecting their faces from the pelting rain. Rides were being shut down and the taller ones, such as Top Thrill Dragster, were wavering in the strong winds.

Patricia thought about glancing over her shoulder to make sure Eddie was behind her, but the rain kept her from doing so. Each drop felt like a sharp sting, almost like someone was taking a needle and poking her with it over and over again. She was absolutely drenched; her hair clung tightly to her skin, as did her clothes, making it harder to run. Beside her, Amber was muttering under her breath, something about how Cedar Point better pay for her dry-cleaning.

"The buildings are filling up fast," Nina observed as they ran past a shop that was overflowing with people. "We need to find a place soon or-,"

The rest of her sentence was lost when a bright flash of lightning – so bright, in fact, that all four of them shielded their eyes – struck too close for comfort. Patricia, who was closer to the strike than anyone else, faltered for a moment. Thankfully, Eddie was expecting as much; he grabbed her hand, dragging her along as they continued on their path, a newfound burst of energy upon them.

"Amber!" Eddie shouted, using their linked hands to pull Patricia out of harm's way. "Look out!"

Apparently the lightning had touched down, breaking a branch from a nearby tree. Nina was far enough away to be in the safe zone. Amber wasn't so lucky. The branch was free-falling in her direction, moving closer with every passing second. Amber must've gone into a state of shock: she wasn't moving.

Eddie tried rushing forward – if Amber wasn't going to save herself, someone had to do it – but Patricia grabbed his arm, holding him back. He considered tossing her to Nina and going through with his original plan, but something in her eyes made him change his mind. She was scared, maybe even more scared than he had ever seen her. He couldn't leave her side, not now.

At the last minute, just before the branch would've collided with Amber, a pair of hands forced her to move.

"Don't stop!" her rescuer advised, bringing the petrified blonde back to her friends. "You're too close to the exit to give up now. Get out of the park and back to your hotel as fast as you can!"

Nina and Patricia gathered around Amber, staying on either side of her as they heeded the stranger's advice. Eddie paused before following the girls, trying to figure out whether or not he knew the rescuer. With the rain falling everywhere, it was hard to make out anything clearly.

"Merlin?" he guessed, recognizing the wavy hair.

"You should go," the other boy replied, his voice deeper than usual. "It's not safe here, Eddie."

"What do you mean, 'it's not safe'?"

Patricia, realizing Eddie wasn't with them, stopped quickly. Nina and Amber stumbled at the sudden halt, both encouraging Patricia to walk again. She waved off their concern, concentrating only on her boyfriend.

"Eddie!" she screamed, hoping he could hear her over the storm. "Come _on_, Weasel!"

"Listen to her," the man ordered. "Go, seek shelter, and never come back here again."

"What are you talking about-,"

Shaking his head, the stranger turned around, taking off in the opposite direction. Eddie started to follow him-

"Miller!" Nina shouted, struggling to keep Patricia from stalking off after Eddie. "Get over here so I can get your girlfriend to safety!"

Muttering under his breath, Eddie rejoined the girls, taking the hand Patricia offered him. Together, the four of them sprinted through the entrance gate, heading for Eddie and Patricia's hotel as the lightning flashed around them and the thunder rumbled.

No one had ever been happier to finally reach dry land.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Your mission, shall you choose to accept it, is to answer these questions:

1. Is Eddie right to suspect his best friend? Should he try talking to Merlin about it or should he stay quiet?

2. Amber's back: coincidence or not?

3. Was the storm REALLY a result of Eddie and Nina being together, or was it something else?

4. How would you like to have Amber stay in the story for a little while?

Review? Please?


	7. Unwelcomed Visitor

**Author's Note: **Let's see a show of hands: Who hates me for taking such a long time to update? *everyone reading this note throws their hand in the air*

I know, I know. I'm a horrible person! In my defense though, I had to work last week and then I found out that one of my friends - someone who I haven't seen in nearly three years - was moving back. He wanted to see me and I wanted to see him, so...yeah. Writing kind of got pushed aside for a few days. Can you guys forgive me? ISN'T THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP MORE IMPORTANT THAN A SILLY UPDATE?

I'm seriously sorry for taking forever to upload, guys. I won't blame you if you go on strike and refuse to read another word I've written (I hope you don't do that; this chapter is the one where exciting stuff starts happening).

By the way, since it's been confirmed now that there is going to be a HOA movie and all of our beloved characters are gradating, there may be a few errors in this story. I think I've said in earlier chapters that Eddie/Patricia were simply taking the summer off. Not sure if I said they'd be returning to Anubis. If I DID say that, I'm sorry since, obviously, they're not going back to their old school now. Umm...Forgive me?

I'll stop rambling now and let you guys read the update, okay?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything HOA related or Cedar Point. Sycon is mine though; so is Merlin.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Unwelcomed Visitor

"Strange reports have been coming in for the past hour or so from Sandusky, Ohio, where the popular amusement park known as Cedar Point is located. Apparently, a fierce storm is tearing through the area as we speak, leaving many people wondering what happened to the pleasant eighty degree day they were expecting to experience. Rumor has it that the park closed down due to very strong winds, a heavy rainfall, and lightning that struck a little too close to home. Police are asking everyone to remain calm and stay indoors until the storm blows through. I'll let you know more as soon as possible."

As the reporter moved on to another story, Eddie turned his attention from the television. If it were up to him, he wouldn't have the stupid thing on – unless it was showing something cool, like maybe a monster-truck rally or a Sick Puppies concert – but the news? Come on; how boring could it get?

However, when sitting in a crowded lobby with people who could only think as far as, "When is this stupid weather going to leave us alone?", he really didn't have any control over the channel. If everyone wanted to blame the weatherman for their misfortune, which Eddie didn't understand – didn't the people know that the weatherman couldn't hear them? – then by golly, they were going to blame him! Who cared if one person was bored out of his mind? As long as everyone else was happy, that was the important thing.

"What are you doing?" Patricia asked, looking over his shoulder. "You're not playing that stupid game again, are you?"

"I don't know what 'stupid game' you're talking about."

"Sure you do," Patricia argued, stealing his phone. "It's the one you're loading right now, Doofus!"

"Sudoku is not a stupid game," Eddie explained for what was probably the millionth time. "It's supposed to stimulate your mind and-,"

"Oh, well don't let me stop you; your mind needs all the stimulation it can get!"

Eddie wasn't sure when it had happened – he liked to think it was Fabian's fault since he was the one who loved numbers so much – but somewhere along the way, he'd gotten addicted to Sudoku. The game helped calm him down when he was anxious about something (which was quite often, considering where he attended school) and it also kept him from getting into trouble when he was bored. Patricia found his addiction hilarious because Eddie Miller, infamous slacker, liked doing something that was better suited for Fabian or even Mara.

"You're just jealous," Eddie informed his girlfriend, taking back his phone. "You couldn't solve a Sudoku puzzle if your life depended on it!"

Patricia was too cranky to carry on with the fight. Sure, she was out of the rain, but she was stuck in the same water-logged clothing. Upon entering their hotel, she and Eddie – along with other guests who were flocking in at the same time – were told they couldn't return to their rooms. The storm had hit one of the towers that supplied the building with power, successfully knocking out all electricity for two or three minutes. Until the computers were up and running again, no one was allowed out of the lobby.

Since the room was too small to seat so many people comfortably, Patricia and Eddie were sharing a chair meant for one person. Needless to say, it was a tight fit. That, along with the fact that her clothes and hair were both taking forever to dry, left the redhead feeling a bit feisty. If she didn't find something to take her mind off how miserable she felt, she was going to explode.

Sighing in defeat, she placed her head on Eddie's shoulder.

"I don't get it," she admitted, watching as he typed a five into one of the tiny boxes. "How do you know which number goes in which box?"

"It's not too complicated," Eddie replied, moving his phone to a spot where Patricia could better see the screen. "See, each puzzle is a 9-by-9 grid of squares divided into nine 3-by-3 square blocks. Some of the squares are already filled in – like this one, see how there's a black two there instead of a purple digit? All the black numbers were there when I started playing. The ones I've added are purple – and the whole object of the game is to fill in every blank square in such a way that each of the numbers one through nine appears exactly once in each row, column, and block."

By the time he finished his explanation, Patricia was giving him a blank stare.

"Here," he said, deciding to try another tactic. "You saw me add a five, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you know why the five goes in that specific box?"

"I have no idea."

Eddie pointed at his five, which was located in the topmost left corner of the board. He then moved his finger so it was hovering over another five in the next box over, where it was resting peacefully in the middle row.

"This five," he explained, "Keeps any other fives from popping up in the other squares as long as they're in the same row."

Patricia studied the grid for a long moment. "Does that rule apply for every number?"

"As long as it's between one and nine, yes."

"Then this," she said joyfully, pressing down on the keypad, "Has to be a seven!"

Eddie scanned the board, checking her answer. He was prepared to let her down gently, to tell her that it was okay she hadn't gotten it right on her first try, but he ended up swallowing his prideful words.

"You're right, Yacker!" he praised instead. "See? I told you Sudoku wasn't stupid."

"I don't know if I'd go that far," she scoffed. "I still don't see what the point of it is."

"Well, now that you know how to play, we can use it as a bonding exercise." He shuffled closer to her, if that was even possible. "Come on; let's see how fast we can solve this puzzle!"

Unfortunately, the couple didn't have time to figure out even one more number. The game disappeared as Eddie received a phone call.

"Mom?" he questioned after reading the caller I.D. "Why would she be trying to reach me at this time of day?"

"Maybe she's watching the news," Patricia suggested.

"I hope not," Eddie groaned. "I'll never hear the end of it if she thinks I'm in any kind of danger."

"Your mum does know you lived at Anubis House, doesn't she?"

Patricia was right: Jody Miller had indeed been watching the weather channel when she found out about the storm sweeping through Ohio. The first thing Eddie heard after hitting the answer key was, "Thank goodness you're still alive!"

"Alive? Mom, it's really not that bad-,"

"Is Patricia okay?" Jody interrupted, clearly not listening to her son. "You weren't on one of the rides when the lightning struck, were you? Did either of you get electrocuted? If you did, don't hesitate about going to the hospital. My insurance plan will cover both of you! Well, maybe not Patricia since she isn't family, but we can always say she's as good as family and-,"

"We're both fine. Neither of us needs to go to the hospital."

Patricia's eyes widened slightly – she was trying to be a good person and only listen to Eddie's side of the conversation, even though she could hear his mum clearly – and she wondered exactly how bad the storm really was if Jody was thinking of hospitalization.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should come home now, just in case you're wrong. If you were in the rain for very long, you could come down with colds. I'd hate for you to-,"

"You want us to drive home right now?" Eddie clarified. "While the storm is still going on? I guess we could, but it might be kind of hard to see out the windshield…"

"I didn't mean right this second. Just…stay wherever you are. As long as it's somewhere safe, of course."

Nina and Amber were back. They'd left shortly after arriving at the hotel, claiming they wanted to find some hot chocolate or something else to warm up with since, as Amber put it, they'd had to endure freezing water pelting their faces.

"Hey, mom," Eddie said, watching the two girls as they scanned the crowd, probably looking for him and Patricia, "How would you like to speak with my girlfriend for a few minutes?"

Patricia shook her head. She didn't mind talking to Jody when she was in a good mood, but if she was fretting over the weather, she wasn't going to be her usual happy-go-lucky self. She would probably spend the entire conversation warning Patricia to keep out of harm's way and telling her exactly how to do so.

"I would love to talk to her!" Jody's voice exclaimed. "Oh, please give her the phone, Eddie. I have so many things I want to share with her!"

Eddie tried doing as his mother asked. Patricia started to leap from the chair, but Eddie won by pressing the phone to his girlfriend's ear. They could both hear Jody asking, "Patricia, is that you? Are you there, dear?"

"I'm here," Patricia gave in, sending her boyfriend the most menacing look she could. "No, Eddie wasn't lying, neither of us is hurt…Yes, the suite is very nice…Yeah, I did know it's not a good idea to shower while there's lightning, actually…"

"It looks like you're going to be busy for a while," Eddie commented, climbing from the seat. "I'll be right back, okay, Yacker?"

He left without giving her a chance to answer him. For the first time in his life, he was happy his mom had called when she did. She was giving him the perfect opportunity to talk with Nina and Amber privately.

"Hey!" Nina greeted as Eddie joined them, offering him a mug. "We thought you and Patricia might enjoy some hot chocolate, too." She rose to her tiptoes. "Um…Where is Patricia?"

"She's talking to my mom," Eddie explained quickly, wanting to move on to more important topics before it was too late. "You guys both want to be included with…whatever it is that's going on, right?"

"I do!" Amber cried out, raising her right hand. "Sibuna!"

Nina and Eddie removed her hand, hoping no one had noticed. The last thing they needed was a bunch of strangers to start asking them who or what a Sibuna was.

"Are you sure this is the best place to talk?" Nina inquired, taking in the packed room. "Maybe we should wait until we're alone. And Patricia should be with us-,"

"Patricia can't be with us," Eddie fought back. "I had a dream about her the other night and in it she was…" He drew a deep breath. "She was working for Team Evil."

"Patricia would never do that," Amber reminded her friends. "She would never betray us. What do you think it means to be a-," She lowered her voice at this point, "-Sibuna member?"

"I used to think the same thing," Eddie nodded, agreeing with the blonde. "Until she actually did betray me, I mean."

"Shut up!" Amber ordered as Nina proclaimed, "Patricia did what?!"

He told them everything. How Patricia, and pretty much every student at the school besides himself and KT, were turned into sinners. The way Patricia was able to trick him for so long, convincing him she was innocent. How everyone got their souls back in the end and had no recollection of their time on the dark side.

"I want to trust her," he finished, "But what if a little piece of her soul is still missing? What if there's a part of her that enjoyed being evil?"

Amber was shaking her head long before Eddie reached the end of his story. "I think it's awful, the way you don't trust your own girlfriend. Patricia isn't evil, Eddie. I mean, she can be mean at times and kind of pushy, not to mention a little scary…What was I talking about again?"

"You were talking about how Patricia would never dream of hurting Sibuna," Nina reminded her friend. "And I agree with you one-hundred percent."

Eddie let out a sigh of relief as the two girls brushed past him, choosing to join Patricia instead. If they both thought he was crazy for being wary of his girlfriend, then he probably was crazy.

After all, if he and Patricia were really jumping head-first into some kind of mystery, they needed to be able to trust each other.

* * *

"That doesn't make sense," Patricia stated a few hours later. She, Eddie, Amber, and Nina were gathered in the suite, the four of them forming a circle on the carpet. "Why would Merlin give you free tickets to Cedar Point, beg you to use them, and then tell you to leave?"

"Are you sure it was Merlin who rescued Amber?" Nina added. "I thought you said it was raining too hard for you to make out his features."

Proving Nina's point, a loud rumble of thunder shook the floor. Amber shivered; she couldn't get the image of the tree branch out of her mind. Thunder reminded her of lightning, and lightning reminded her of trees.

"Does it really matter who it was?" Eddie rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point here. I was told not to return to Cedar Point because it isn't safe. I think that means I probably shouldn't return to Cedar Point."

"I agree with Eddie," Amber jumped in, scooting closer to the American.

"Well, I don't." Patricia folded her arms over her chest stubbornly. "What if it's just a trick? What if Merlin – or whoever this guy is – was only trying to scare you?"

Now it was Eddie's turn to act stubborn.

"What if you're wrong and it isn't 'just a trick'? What if we go back to the park tomorrow and something terrible happens to us?"

"I guess we'll know the truth then, won't we?"

"Guys!" Nina shouted, putting an end to whatever fight was about to break out. "Arguing isn't going to help us."

Patricia and Eddie shut their mouths, choosing to continue their battle with silent glares instead. Amber, who was stuck between the couple, looked to Nina for help.

"Let's look at the facts before we make any decisions," the Chosen One suggested, doing her best to pacify everyone. "Patricia, you think aliens are involved in the mystery this time around, right?"

"And Merlin," Patricia confirmed, finally tearing her gaze from Eddie. "I didn't like him from the moment I met him."

"She does have a point about Merlin," Eddie admitted. "There's definitely something going on with him."

Nina turned her attention to Amber. "Did you pick up a weird vibe from the person who saved you from that branch?"

The blonde scrunched up her face as she mulled over her answer. The other three teens watched her carefully, waiting for her to speak.

"I don't know if I would call it a 'weird vibe'," she finally decided. "His hands were really rough – some moisturizer would help with that – and his breath kind of smelled like apples…"

"There you go, Eddie," Patricia interrupted. "Does Merlin's breath smell like apples?"

"How am I supposed to know what his breath smells like?"

"He's your best friend! You're supposed to know everything about your best friend!"

"Really, Patricia?" Eddie smiled at her tauntingly. "What does Joy's breath smell like?"

"I know it doesn't smell like fresh water."

Eddie was opening his mouth to rebuttal when Nina threw her hands in the air. "Seriously, guys; that's enough! I'm trying to help you figure everything out before I leave, but if you don't stop fighting, I'm going to put you in a time-out!"

The room fell silent. Not because of Nina's threat, but because no one had missed the most important part of her speech.

"You're leaving us?" Amber questioned, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I think I have to, Ams," Nina replied, shrugging helplessly. "The only reason it's storming right now is because Eddie and I are together. If we don't go our separate ways, it's just going to get worse."

"We'll leave," Eddie offered quickly, Patricia nodding along. "We'll head back to my house tomorrow. My mom wants us home anyway. You don't have to go anywhere, Nina."

"That's very kind of you," Nina said, "But I've been planning on taking off since I found out you were back in America. I have some…unfinished business to take care of back in the UK."

Of course her main concern was Fabian. She had to see him again. She missed him more than she thought possible. However, he wasn't the only person she wanted to visit. Alfie, Jerome, Mara…Joy…She hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to any of them, not face-to-face. It was the perfect time to go now, while Eddie was vacationing from the school.

Even though he knew Nina was right, that she and her Osirion couldn't be in the same place for very long, Eddie had mixed feelings about it. He wanted her to stick around so if there was a mystery heading their way, she could claim her rightful spot as Sibuna's leader. She was a lot better at the job than he was.

Amber was the one who launched herself at Nina first, nearly knocking the other girl over with the force behind her hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" she cried, holding on for dear life.

"I'm not gone yet!" Nina managed to choke out, sending Eddie a very direct look meant to say, 'Get-her-off-of-me!' "My flight doesn't leave until the morning!"

Ignoring her cry for help, Eddie joined the two girls, wrapping his arms around both of them.

"Yacker!" he called. "Come share the love!"

However, Patricia was too far away to do any hugging. Instead, she was gathering up every flashlight she could find.

"When you're done suffocating the poor girl," she said upon her return, "I think we should give her a proper send-off."

"Ohh, great idea, Patricia!" Amber nodded her approval. "We can use the flashlights to blind Nina so she can't leave us!"

She jumped up, reaching to take one of the machines from her friend. The redhead pulled them away quickly, rolling her eyes.

"Or we could go with my plan instead," she suggested. "Let's go see what's so dangerous about Cedar Point, shall we?"

"I don't know if that's such a great idea…"

"You're not allowed to say no," Patricia stated firmly, cutting Nina off as she tossed her one of the flashlights. "This might be the last mission you ever get to help with since you and Eddie can't be together for more than two seconds at a time. I think you deserve the chance to say goodbye to Sibuna as well, don't you?"

When it became evident that Patricia was the only one willing to move forward, she realized she needed a bigger incentive. Taking her right hand, she placed it over her eye.

"Come on, guys," she begged. "Do it for Sibuna."

"For Sibuna," Amber repeated, lifting her hand as well.

"For Sibuna," Eddie agreed, copying the girls.

All three heads turned to Nina.

"For Sibuna," she relented.

* * *

The storm was still raging as Eddie led the girls out of the hotel. They were dressed more appropriately this time – raincoats, hats, and boots – but the chilly wind bit at his cheeks. The sun had gone down hours ago which somehow made the rain feel even heavier as it soaked through his protective gear. Great…it was going to take him all night to dry off again!

"Listen up," he said, turning around to face the group. "I'm sure Cedar Point has security cameras. If we get caught breaking in, we're going to be in trouble. I want all of you to stay behind me and be as quiet as possible, alright?"

"This isn't the first time we've broken into something," Amber pointed out. "I think we know the ground rules by now."

Eddie stayed at the front of the pack, using his flashlight – and the occasional strike of lightning – to see where he was going. He walked as fast as he dared to, his feet sliding every once in a while thanks to the mud beneath them. Amber was behind him, reaching for his shoulder whenever she lost her balance. Patricia was third in line, the beam from her flashlight flying everywhere as she tried to see everything at once. Nina took up the rear, wondering if they were doing the right thing.

When Eddie was able to make out Cedar Point's main entrance through the rain, he stopped. Amber almost slammed into him, pausing just before their bodies would've collided.

"Obviously, we're not getting through that way," he explained, gesturing to the gate. "I'm sure they lock it at night to keep troublemakers like us out. I think we should search for a weak spot in the surrounding fence or-,"

"Or," Patricia interrupted, "We could see if that glowing red light in your pocket has any suggestions."

"What glowing red light in my pocket?"

Looking down, it wasn't hard for Eddie to figure out what his girlfriend was talking about. There was definitely a red light shining through his clothing. He reached inside, wondering what could be causing it.

To his surprise, he found Nina's locket.

"How did that get in there?" he asked, feeling completely dumbfounded. "I didn't even know I brought it with me…"

"Maybe it knows I'm nearby," Nina said, stepping around Patricia and Amber. "Here, let me see it."

He handed it over willingly, allowing the chain to glide through his fingers. Nina held her palm out expectantly, waiting for the familiar locket to fall into it. She dropped it as soon as it touched her skin.

"Ouch!" she cried, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Why didn't you tell me it was so hot?"

"Um, maybe because it isn't?"

Bending over, Eddie retrieved the locket, brushing off the excess mud. He had no idea what Nina was freaking out about. It felt as cool as a cucumber to him.

"Maybe it wasn't asking for Nina," Amber pointed out. "Maybe it knows of a secret passage thingy that will get us into the park."

"It's worth a shot," Patricia shrugged when Eddie's eyes landed on her, asking her opinion of Amber's idea.

Carrying the locket gingerly, Eddie brought it closer to the fence. The light didn't glow brighter as he hoped it would. Instead, it started to fade.

"So much for that plan," he sighed. "Look, maybe we should call it a night. We can come back tomorrow when the sun's out and we can actually see what we're doing, alright?"

"I think Eddie's right," Nina seconded his order. "You guys will have a much easier time once the rain stops. And it's not like you need me around to help. You're great at solving mysteries; I'm sure you can tackle whatever comes your way."

"I think," Amber said, tossing a very wet arm around Nina's shoulders, "We should throw you a 'Goodbye' party!"

Nina didn't have a chance to say no. Amber swirled the other girl around, leading her back in the direction of the hotel. Patricia followed them for a few steps, paused when she noticed someone was missing, and turned around to see what was keeping her boyfriend.

He was staring at the locket, his head cocked slightly to the side. Why was it still glowing? If it was because the piece of jewelry knew its original owner was around, wouldn't it have stopped by now? Nina was getting farther away with every passing second. Besides, that theory didn't make sense. If the locket wanted to be with the Chosen One, why had it grown hot as soon as it touched her hand?

_'I don't get it,' _Eddie thought, running his fingers along the cold necklace. _'It's never lit up for no reason before…I feel like it's trying to show me something and I'm just too stupid to figure out what it is!'_

"Hey, Eddie," Patricia called, breaking the teen from his thoughts. "Can you think of any animals that are six or seven feet tall, have blue skin, six arms, and three legs?"

"What?" Eddie wondered if the rain was messing with his hearing. "There aren't any animals that fit that description, Yacker."

"Well, in that case, I might have figured out what's up with the locket."

Using her flashlight, she pointed at something over Eddie's shoulder. He spun around, thinking she was simply playing some kind of prank-

Patricia wasn't lying: there really was a six or seven foot tall, blue skinned, six armed, and three legged creature standing there.

The creature stared at Eddie. Eddie stared at the creature. Patricia watched the entire exchange, unsure if she should jump in to help her boyfriend or run for cover. In the end, Eddie was the one who made the final decision.

"RUN!" he bellowed, grabbing her hand as he high-tailed it out of there.

* * *

**Author's Note: **IF you are still reading this story, please let me know by reviewing and answering these questions:

1. The Sudoku puzzle: innocent couple-bonding or a secret agenda set by the author?

2. What do you think? Did all the sinners get their souls back in the season three finale, or are some of them, as Eddie suggested, still missing pieces?

3. Nina returning to the UK: Who wants to see a glimpse of her visit?

4. Why did the locket burn Nina and not Eddie?

5. Who is this mysterious blue creature?


End file.
